Akhtar, Tait, Johnson or Lee? Michael Clarke picks the fastest bowler he faced

Michael Clarke has picked Shoaib Akhtar as the fastest bowler he has ever faced. Clarke also weighed in on the likes of Shaun Tait, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, bowlers who could get over the 150kph mark.

But the former Australian batsman was very clear that Akhtar was simply quicker than everyone.

Speaking on the Uncensored Podcast, Michael Clarke said:

"Shoaib Akhtar was the fastest I have faced. He could bowl 160. Different type of bowler who could bowl quick for three overs. Flintoff was quick for 12 overs. Lee was quick. Shoaib was quicker. Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie were fast. But Shoaib Akhtar was the fastest."

Michael Clarke was also asked about the best batsman he has seen, and the World Cup winner picked India's Sachin Tendulkar.

Michael Clarke: Officer of the Order of AustraliaLyn Larsen: Member of the Order of AustraliaFormer World Cup-winning 🇦🇺 captains have been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours for their service to cricket 👏 pic.twitter.com/wBPdIuJB52

— ICC (@ICC) June 8, 2020

The former Australian batsman had a fruitful career after breaking onto the scene with a debut hundred against India in Tests.

Clarke retired from all forms of the game after leading Australia to the World Cup title in 2015.

"When I took over the captaincy, I fought to keep Ricky"- Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke & Ricky Ponting (R)

Michael Clarke also talked about how he fought to keep Ricky Ponting in the team after the former took over the captaincy of Australia.

Clarke highlighted that Ponting was good enough to play as a batsman and was almost a coach-like figure in the dressing room.

"When I took over the captaincy, I fought to keep Ricky. I said, ‘We need him. We need him for his batting, but he’ll be another coach for us’. So I fought hard to keep him, I wanted him there. I thought he played a big part in helping that younger generation get to the level we needed to," Michael Clarke said.

Michael Clarke recently stirred the pot when he claimed he was 'not convinced' with the Australian bowlers' defense of them not knowing about the sandpaper ploy used in the Cape Town Test in 2018.

Happy birthday to Michael Clarke!His 74 in the 2015 @cricketworldcup Final helped take his team to World Cup glory. pic.twitter.com/zBtVcRLz9Y

— ICC (@ICC) April 2, 2019