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Michael
Clarke, long the heir apparent to Ricky Ponting, finally assumed the
throne when he was named Australia’s 43rd test captain on Wednesday, a
day after his mentor quit the post.

The 29-year-old
will also take charge of the one-day side, which plays three matches in
Bangladesh next month. All rounder Shane Watson was appointed the new
vice-captain of the test and one-day teams.

“I just want to say
what a honour it is to be named captain of Australia and a huge
surprise to see Ricky stand down,” Clarke told a news conference at the
Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

Clarke, who turns
30 this weekend, begins the job with Australian cricket at its lowest
ebb since the mid-1980s, ranked fifth in the world in tests and still
smarting from a home Ashes drubbing and a quarter-final exit at the
World Cup.

“The key for me is we go back to old-fashioned basics.

That’s batting, bowling and fielding,” he said. “I’m not going to reinvent the wheel.

“We want to become the number one ranked team in all forms and that’s going to take a long time,” he added.

If newspaper and
website polls are to be believed, Clarke’s appointment was not welcomed
by a lot of fans, many of whom take exception to his transformation
from a working class boy from Sydney’s western suburbs into a celebrity.

Keen tweeter

The tattoos, top of
the range BMW, glamorous apartment in the beach side Sydney suburb of
Bondi and celebrity girlfriends make him a very different captain from
his 42 predecessors.

Also a keen
tweeter, it was via his Twitter page (twitter.com/MClarke23) that
Clarke apologised for not walking when given out during the Ashes
defeat in Adelaide in December.

“My address has
changed and I’ve got a few more tattoos than when I was a kid, but the
person inside is exactly the same,” he said.

“I need to be
continue to be true to myself, people will have their own opinions,” he
added. “I certainly don’t believe I can get the whole of this country
to like me.

“For me it’s about
earning the respect of the doubters by leading the team in the right
way and playing cricket in the right way.”

Nicknamed Pup,
Clarke burst onto world cricket’s stage with 151 on his test debut in
Bangalore in 2004 and another century on his home debut against New
Zealand.

He averages 46.49 in 69 tests and 44.32 in 195 ODIs.

His form has dipped
over the last year, however, and he said he hoped the responsibility of
the captaincy would help him recapture his form.

I hope it helps,” he said. “I think that’s another thing that
Ricky’s taught me, to be leading from the front on the field is so
important.”