Clarke arrives in Wellington to media barrage

Last updated 14:40 15/03/2010

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KENT BLECHYNDEN/Dominion Post

CAPITAL ARRIVAL: Michael Clarke arrives in Wellington to intense media interest.

NICK MOIR/Sydney Morning Herald

UPSET: Australian cricketer Michael Clarke arrives at Sydney Airport for his flight to New Zealand.

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Australian cricket vice-captain Michael Clarke has arrived at Wellington International Airport to a waiting media scrum.

He faced a barrage of questions as he was guided by Cricket Australia representatives to a waiting car, parked 300m from the terminal.

"I have no comment," he said repeatedly to the group of about 20 journalists on his return to the Australian cricket team's New Zealand tour, from which he left last week to end his engagement to Sydney celebrity model Lara Bingle.

Australian media who travelled with Clarke on his Qantas flight from Sydney focused their questions mainly on the location of Lara Bingle’s lost engagement ring.

Journalists tripped over each other to get a piece of Clarke as he pushed his luggage trolley through the media pack.

Clarke took a phone call in the car as the group left the airport, and shielded his face from the cameras.

Back in Sydney, plumbers turned up twice this morning to the Bondi home of Australian cricket vice-captain Michael Clarke in an apparent bid to find the missing A$200,000 engagement ring of former fiance Lara Bingle.

The plumbers arrived at 8.45am, brandishing a metal detector, but left soon after when they were spotted by the media.

The workmen returned an hour later and were spotted going over building plans of the exclusive Bondi apartment block.

Both men refused to comment.

Allegations also emerged that a photographer was seen going through the building's rubbish.

Clarke was decidedly unimpressed this morning after learning a Channel Seven reporter and cameraman had booked themselves onto his Qantas flight to New Zealand.

Cricket Australia officials briefed Clarke of the development on his way to Sydney International Airport, and the Australian vice-captain was said to be upset that the television crew had booked themselves business class tickets, presumably in an attempt to interview him on the flight.

Clarke arrived at the airport 20 minutes after his NSW teammates Simon Katich, Steven Smith and Phillip Hughes and was immediately confronted by a small army of media.

CA officials had arranged to have his bags checked in separately, allowing Clarke to make a quick dash through the departure terminal and on to Customs.

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"No comment, sorry guys," was Clarke's only offering to the waiting media as he walked stone-faced through the airport, accompanied by CA operations manager Michael Brown and his agent, Chris White.

Brown has been in regular contact with Clarke since his hasty decision to leave Australia’s limited overs tour of New Zealand to call off his engagement to Sydney model Lara Bingle.

And he believes he is mentally equipped to deal with the predicted needling from New Zealand spectators at the Basin Reserve during the first Test, beginning on Friday.

"I haven’t assessed his state of mind, I'm certainly no psychologist, but I talked to him and he said he wants to play," Brown said. "He's dealt with difficult crowds all around the world so I'm sure he'll continue to do that.

"He's had a difficult time, he's made some difficult decisions but I'm convinced he's ready to play for Australia. He's convinced me of that. We look forward to him getting over there now.

"There was never a question of him not being part of (the Test series against New Zealand)," Brown added. "He's obviously got a lot of issues to deal with but he’s really keen to be coming back to play for Australia. I spoke to him Thursday or Friday and it was just a matter of giving him a couple of days to ensure that's what he wanted to do. We've been in regular contact. He’s looking forward to getting there."

Smith, barely 12 hours removed from winning the Steve Waugh Medal, was confident his vice-captain would not let the off-field circus created by his split from Bingle detract from his performances during the two-Test series.

"He's been through a pretty tough time of it of late," Smith said. "He's a pretty tough customer. He's going to come back and want to do well for Australia."

- Stuff and Sydney Morning Herald