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Australia's Michael Clarke - Source: Reuters -
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Michael Clarke returns to New Zealand on Sunday to prepare for the two-Test cricket series as his Australian teammates vow to rally around their troubled vice-captain.
Clarke has dominated the news for reasons other than cricket in the past week after he rushed home on the eve of Tuesday's third one-day international in Hamilton to deal with a nude photo scandal involving his fiancee, model Lara Bingle.
His management later confirmed the pair had split , and Australian captain Ricky Ponting said on Saturday that Clarke would return to Wellington on Monday with the rest of the Test squad ahead of Friday's first Test at the Basin Reserve.
"It has obviously been a tough time for him in the last few days at home," Ponting said.
"He (Clarke) was given as much time as he needed to get everything sorted at home.
"He'll come back being the vice-captain and an experienced player for us in the Test side and we'll give him as much support as he needs when he joins the group again and make sure he's ready to go."
The media feeding frenzy over the Clarke/Bingle story continued across the Tasman on Sunday.
The Sunday Telegraph reported Bingle's brother and mother had approached magazine editors asking for more than $A100,000 ($NZ130,562) for a tell-all interview detailing how Clarke, 28, allegedly treated Bingle, 22, and the couple's "living relations".
The Sun-Herald quoted an employee from a plumbing company who claimed they were summoned in the early hours to the Sydney apartment the couple shared because "someone had placed something, worth a lot of money, down the toilet" - possibly Bingle's $200,000 diamond engagement ring.
Clarke's Australian teammate Mike Hussey said on Sunday he wanted his vice-captain back in the squad as soon as possible and hoped he could quickly deal with his personal issues.
"We haven't really spoken much about it at all. It's pretty much him dealing with his issues off the field," Hussey said.
"To be honest it's probably none of our business really. We want him back as quickly as possible because he is an integral part of our team and a very fine player. We want him back and a hundred percent focused on playing well for Australia.
"Hopefully he can get through his issues as quickly as possible and we can have him back."
