SYDNEY (Reuters) - Former Australia captain Michael Clarke will get his first taste of coaching at the elite level against Sri Lanka later this month after being put in charge of the Prime Minister's XI for a Twenty20 match in Canberra. The 35-year-old said he was "thrilled" to mentor a side captained by Adam Voges and including Australia ODI stalwart George Bailey and returning test pace bowler James Pattinson. "The squad has a really good mix of experienced players and some exciting young talent," Clarke said. "I think we'll be really competitive against Sri Lanka, and I know we can play an exciting brand of cricket in front of what will hopefully be a big crowd in Canberra." Cricket Australia have drafted in Clarke's predecessor as captain, Ricky Ponting, former test batsman Justin Langer and former pace bowler Jason Gillespie to lead the home side in the three-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka.

Source: The Star February 03, 2017 05:15 UTC