SYDNEY – Michael Clarke has earmarked the short tour to England as the start of Australia’s push to regain the No. 1 ranking in all forms of cricket.

Australia, which has climbed from fifth to third in the Test rankings under Clarke’s captaincy, hosts No. 2-ranked South Africa later this year before an Ashes tour in 2013 against top-ranked England.

Clarke wants the team to be on top of the rankings within two years.
The Australian team, which left for England on Thursday for a five-match limited-overs series, is No. 1 in the one-day rankings and fifth in Twenty20.

“We’ve been the No. 1 one-day team in the world for a while but we need to continue to raise the bar,” Clarke said.

“Once we get on a plane today, it’s probably the start of a two-year journey for this Australian team ... to have a lot of success and get back to being the No. 1 team in all three forms of the game.”

Australia has lost three of the past four Ashes series, including two in England, which played a big role in its slide down the test rankings after a long period of domination.

The Australians will play two warmup matches against county teams and an ODI against Ireland before the five matches against England.— AP