Michael Clarke warns of an exodus from Team Australia after disappointing campaign in T20 World Cup 2024

Former captain Michael Clarke has warned of an exodus from the Australia T20I team after the disappointing campaign in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.

Australia bowed out of the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup at the Super 8 stage after suffering a shock defeat against Afghanistan before losing to India. Despite being one of the strongest contenders for the trophy, the reigning Test and ODI champions failed to advance ahead of the Super 8 stage.

They were one of the best if not the best teams during the group stage, winning all of their four games including one against defending champions England. However, the Shaun Marsh-led side failed to replicate that performance in the Super 8s.

The team from Down Under began its Super 8 campaign with a win over Bangladesh. A win over Afghanistan in the next game would have sealed their passage to the semifinals. However, they ended up losing the game by 21 runs to suffer their first-ever defeat against Afghanistan in any format. In their third Super 8 game, they suffered another defeat against India to bow out of the competition.

The selectors should have an eye on the next World Cup: Michael Clarke

With Australia failing to win the ongoing T20 World Cup, Michael Clarke has urged the selectors to start preparing for the next edition of the tournament immediately. He then proceeded to say that David Warner might not be the only player who has played his last T20I for Australia.

The ODI World Cup-winning former captain stated that a number of players from the current Australian team might bring down the curtains on their T20I career. When Michael Clarke was told that a number of Australian players are well over the age of 30, he stated that he is not really bothered about their age before saying that he would be surprised if most of the players continued to play T20Is.

"I think now is the time, to be honest. I used to think, leading up to the World Cup, you play your best team, and age does not matter. But, after the World Cup campaign, the selectors should have an eye on the next World Cup. I don't think Dave will be the only one who played his last game for Australia," Michael Clarke said on ESPN's Around the Wicket.

"I'm not too concerned about how old the players are, but I think with how much cricket we have, and just about all these guys getting involved in the domestic T20 leagues around the world, and not just the IPL. That's going to take up more time and commitment as well. So, I'd be surprised if there's not a number of players that didn't play their last T20I game for Australia," Clarke added.

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