Benaud back Clarke as Ponting successor

Richie Benaud has backed besieged Michael Clarke to succeed Ricky Ponting as Australian Test captain despite reports of dressing room dissent and a worrying string of pre-Ashes losses.

Lean trot . . . the Sri Lankans celebrate the wicket of stand-in skipper Michael Clarke as he leaves the MCG pitch on Wednesday night. Sri Lanka have won two from two on their tour. Photo: AFP

So has another former great, Neil Harvey, but mainly because he sees no alternatives.

“I see no reason why Clarke, the vice-captain shouldn’t take over from Ponting, the captain,” said Benaud.

“Any time a team is getting beaten there are always concerns.

“But Michael Clarke will be vice-captain when Ponting comes back (after missing Wednesday’s one-day loss to Sri Lanka in Melbourne).

“I wouldn’t do anything that might suggest to England that there is any sort of panic in the camp,” said Benaud, describing this summer’s Ashes visitors as a very strong and well-balanced team.

“It may be that the next innings he (Clarke) plays will be a century, in the same way as he made one in India only two and a half weeks ago.

“And no-one was saying then that Clarke should go.”

Benaud dismissed press reports that unnamed senior players remain firmly opposed to the idea of Clarke taking over the captaincy from 35-year-old Ponting.

“I would like to think that if that’s the way some cricketers in the team feel they would be honest enough to put their names to it,” Benaud said.

“Otherwise I’m not interested.”

Australia have not won in any form of the game since beating Pakistan in England in July, then enduring a dismal tour of India.

Clarke was in charge for Wednesday’s astonishing loss to Sri Lanka, the visitors overtaking Australia’s 239 despite looking down and out at 8-107.



It was Clarke’s sixth straight loss as captain since May.

His overall record in one-dayers and Twenty20 internationals is 12 wins and five losses in each form of the game.

Injury rules Australia’s Marsh out of one-day series

Australia batsman Shaun Marsh has been ruled out of the remainder of the one-day series against Sri Lanka after injuring his lower back in Wednesday’s opening defeat, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.

Promising middle order batsman Callum Ferguson will join the squad in place of lefthander Marsh for the final two matches against Sri Lanka -- in Sydney on Friday and Brisbane on Sunday.

“It’s an unfortunate injury for Shaun,” chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said in a news release.

“However, it does create another opportunity for Callum Ferguson to come back into the Australian one-day team and press his claims.”

Australia have lost their last six matches in all forms of cricket and are desperate to return to winning ways before the Ashes test series against England begins in Brisbane on Nov. 25.