He broke the news today March during a press conference at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Clarke told news media that his colleagues were uninformed about the decision until ten minutes to the conference.
He disclosed that he wanted to give his successor a full four-year cycle to prepare a team for the 2019 World Cup, and hoped that a break from the shorter format would allow him to continue playing test cricket for longer.
At the gathering he explained “I was very fortunate four years ago to get the opportunity to captain this one-day team - and that was really good preparation for me leading up to this World Cup,”.
“The next Australian captain deserves the same opportunity. I don’t think it’s realistic that I’ll be fit and healthy for the next World Cup, so I believe it’s the right time.”
The now 33-year-old has always suffered from a continuous backache and has already undergone a surgical operation in 2014.
The next captain will possibly be 25-year-old Steve Smith, who was a temporal replacement for him during his time off sick.
Tomorrow’s match will mark his 245th ODI. He has scored eight centuries and 57 half centuries in his 222 ODI innings, compiling 7 907 runs at an average of 44.42. He also took 57 wickets with a good return of 5-35.
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