<p>Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke Thursday broke his silence on the criticism he received after announcing his retirement during the recent Ashes series loss in England.<br /><br />Both former team-mates Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden publicly questioned Clarke's leadership in August and Clarke has used his "Ashes Diary 2015" to hit back.<br /><br />Clarke also slammed former Australia coach John Buchanan, taunting him for never playing for his country and saying "even my dog Jerry" could have had similar success.<br /><br />"Andrew Symonds went on TV to criticise my leadership. I'm sorry but he is not a person to judge anyone on leadership," Clarke wrote of his former team-mate.<br />"This is a guy who turned up drunk to play for his country. It's pretty rich for him to be throwing rocks."</p>.<p>The pair were close friends at the beginning of the former Australian captain's career, however, as Symonds' behaviour deteriorated and Clarke entered the leadership ranks, they quickly fell out.<br /><br />Symonds eventually had his contract cancelled by Cricket Australia in 2009 for breaking a drinking ban while in England.<br /><br />Clarke, 34, also hit back at Hayden's assertions he refused to field at bat-pad early in his career.<br /><br />Hayden claimed he heard Clarke tell Ricky Ponting he would "hand back (his) baggy green" if he was forced to put on the helmet and field in close.<br />However, Clarke says his record speaks for itself.<br /><br />"I think I've shown over the past 12 years how much I've valued representing my country and how much my 389 baggy green means to me," Clarke wrote.<br /><br />"If Ricky (Ponting) had asked me to jump off the Harbour Bridge, I would have jumped. I loved playing for Australia that much."<br /><br />But Clarke saved his biggest criticism for former coach Buchanan. "I don't think John knows a thing about the baggy green (cap), having never worn one," Clarke said.<br /><br />"He's still living off the fact that he coached a team that anyone, even my dog Jerry, could have coached to world domination."<br /><br />In August, Buchanan criticised the culture of the Australian cricket team under Clarke's captaincy.<br /><br />"Players like Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and others really tried to make the Baggy Green culture something special but I could sense it was under threat and under Michael's captaincy I can sense it has disappeared a bit and that disappointed me," he told News Corp Australia.<br /><br />"There were times when I felt Michael did not understand or did not want to understand." </p>
<p>Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke Thursday broke his silence on the criticism he received after announcing his retirement during the recent Ashes series loss in England.<br /><br />Both former team-mates Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden publicly questioned Clarke's leadership in August and Clarke has used his "Ashes Diary 2015" to hit back.<br /><br />Clarke also slammed former Australia coach John Buchanan, taunting him for never playing for his country and saying "even my dog Jerry" could have had similar success.<br /><br />"Andrew Symonds went on TV to criticise my leadership. I'm sorry but he is not a person to judge anyone on leadership," Clarke wrote of his former team-mate.<br />"This is a guy who turned up drunk to play for his country. It's pretty rich for him to be throwing rocks."</p>.<p>The pair were close friends at the beginning of the former Australian captain's career, however, as Symonds' behaviour deteriorated and Clarke entered the leadership ranks, they quickly fell out.<br /><br />Symonds eventually had his contract cancelled by Cricket Australia in 2009 for breaking a drinking ban while in England.<br /><br />Clarke, 34, also hit back at Hayden's assertions he refused to field at bat-pad early in his career.<br /><br />Hayden claimed he heard Clarke tell Ricky Ponting he would "hand back (his) baggy green" if he was forced to put on the helmet and field in close.<br />However, Clarke says his record speaks for itself.<br /><br />"I think I've shown over the past 12 years how much I've valued representing my country and how much my 389 baggy green means to me," Clarke wrote.<br /><br />"If Ricky (Ponting) had asked me to jump off the Harbour Bridge, I would have jumped. I loved playing for Australia that much."<br /><br />But Clarke saved his biggest criticism for former coach Buchanan. "I don't think John knows a thing about the baggy green (cap), having never worn one," Clarke said.<br /><br />"He's still living off the fact that he coached a team that anyone, even my dog Jerry, could have coached to world domination."<br /><br />In August, Buchanan criticised the culture of the Australian cricket team under Clarke's captaincy.<br /><br />"Players like Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and others really tried to make the Baggy Green culture something special but I could sense it was under threat and under Michael's captaincy I can sense it has disappeared a bit and that disappointed me," he told News Corp Australia.<br /><br />"There were times when I felt Michael did not understand or did not want to understand." </p>