It is increasingly clear the real reason for the sudden return of Michael Clarke from the New Zealand tour is his model girlfriend Lara Bingle
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Cricket Australia has attributed it to "personal reasons" and a section of the media put it down to his father's illness, but nobody in Australia's cricket fraternity seems to be fooled.
It is increasingly clear the real reason for the sudden return home yesterday of Australian Test vice-captain Michael Clarke from the ongoing New Zealand tour is his model girlfriend Lara Bingle who is suing Brendan Fevola, an Australian Football Rules (AFL) player and her former boyfriend.
Bingle hit the headlines last week after Woman's Day magazine published nude pictures of her in the shower, which she claims were taken without her permission by the married Fevola, during a secret affair in 2006.
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Michael Clarke and partner Lara Bingle arrive for the 2010 Allan Border Medal function in Melbourne last month. PIC/GETTY IMAGES |
Reporters and photographers have been hounding the Australian vice-captain ever since the pictures were published. A New Zealand photographer broke protocol during the Australians' training at McLean Park last week to zoom in on Clarke at close range forcing the vice-captain to complain to team officials.
During the season's last one-dayer of the season, against the West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Clarke had been photographed in animated conversation with an agitated Bingle outside the team's dressing room.
Whereas many Australians have dismissed the incident good-humouredly as a personal matter, certain members of the establishment and many of Clarke's fans are reportedly unhappy with his involvement in Bingle's "unending dramas".
Clarke's high-profile girl friend featured in the Australian government's highly-controversial tourism promotion campaign "So Where The Bloody Hell Are You" which bombed after outraging prudish British audiences about four years ago.
Clarke missed the first Test of the 2008 series in the West Indies to comfort Bingle after the death of her father Graham. The captain-in-waiting returned to make a century in the second Test at Antigua and dedicated his innings of 110 to him, crying on the field.
The Antipodeans neighbours are locked 1-1 in what is turning out to be a bitterly-fought one-day series. The third match in the five-match ODI series is being played in Napier today. New Zealand scored a nail-biting super over victory in the one-off Twenty20 match a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, Seddon Park, venue of today's ODI, being the original home ground of Scott Styris is expected to draw a capacity crowd, after his run-in with Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson in which the latter head-butted the Kiwi batsman.
Johnson, who had to be escorted to the crease by security men when batting in the last match, was lucky to escape suspension thanks to the benevolence of Sri Lankan match referee Ranjan Madugalle.
But he is expected to be given a hot reception by Hamilton's notoriously volatile crowd today.
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