Clarke, who cited personal reasons for abruptly quitting the ODI series and flew back to Sydney to meet Bingle, has defended his decision and said he had also received some timely advice from Australian spin great Shane Warne.

“I have spoken to Warney. I’ve spoken to a lot of my friends and my family. He’s been a wonderful friend of mine for a long time and he was excited to see me back in New Zealand and wished me all the best for Friday’s Test match,” Clarke said at a press conference at the Westpac Stadium here. “I made the decision first to go home but then to come back to New Zealand, knowing that there was a big Test match starting on Friday. I knew I’d be capable to get up for that. Preparation has been very important to me throughout my whole career and it’s no different now. Yesterday, it was important to get back in the nets and have a good bat, see that red ball.”

Clarke also said that it was “very important” at that point of time to go back home and deal with the relationship issues. “It’s part of what we do. Being a professional athlete, it’s not just about what you do on the field… it’s what you do off the field as well,” Clarke said. .

“We have to accept that and for me it was important to do what I had to do in my personal life and it’s important for me now to be back with my team-mates and make sure I’m concentrating on playing a Test match for Australia,” Clarke said. “(Going home) was obviously something that I thought was very important and needed to be done and I did that. My team-mates were fantastic and very supportive. Cricket Australia, the ACA, all my friends and family have been wonderful. That’s obviously why I’m back here now, trying to get out there on Friday and perform in Australia.”

Clarke also said that he was expecting some “personal” sledging when he takes the field against New Zealand in the first match of the two-Test series commencing from March 19 here.

“I’m sure I’ll get a little bit of stick (from the crowd) but I don’t mind that. No matter where you go around the world, every country wants their team to win and do well, so we’ll wait and see what happens on Friday but I don’t think that will affect me too much. I’ve copped a fair bit of sledging in my time, whether it be about stuff on the field or off the field. We’ll just have to wait and see (if the players sledge). But I have the utmost respect for the New Zealand guys and I’m sure they’re the same, so we’ll play it by ear, but I’m sure it won’t affect me,” Clarke added.

West Indies, chasing a modest victory target of 162, reached home in just 27.4 overs, thanks to a 41-ball 63 by skipper Chris Gayle and a brutal attack by Kieron Pollard lower down the order, scoring 36 not out off 20 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes.

Zimbabwe’s spin bowlers once again mesmerised the West Indies batsman, but in the end, it was just too less a total for them to defend. It was the fourth straight defeat for Zimbabwe, after they won the lone twenty20 match and the first one-day international in Guyana. They lost the second ODI by four wickets last Sunday, slumped to a 141-run defeat last Wednesday in St Vincent, where they also lost by four wickets on Friday in the fourth ODI.

“It’s been a long time since we last won a series, and it feels really, really good to have achieved this,” said West Indies captain Chris Gayle, whose 63 from 41 balls set his side firmly on course for victory. “It has been a total team effort because we started really badly, when we lost the first ODI. But for the guys to have bounced back and won the series 4-1, was a tremendous effort, and I must commend them for the way they went about it.”

Charles Coventry, playing his first game of the series, made a fighting 56 from 88 balls including five fours, but failed to save Zimbabwe from another batting collapse. No other Zimbabwean batsman could even reach 20, and the visitors were dismissed for 161 from their full quota of 50 overs.

Darren Sammy was the pick of the bowlers for West Indies, picking up three wickets for 33 runs from his allotted 10 overs. Ravi Rampaul finished with two for 24 from his 10 overs as the two medium-pacers flattened Zimbabwe’s top-order batting.

“There were not enough runs on the board for us to be competitive,” said Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya.”We have been letting ourselves down terribly with our batting, but our bowlers have been bowling their hearts out throughout the series. We have to go back home and work very hard on our batting. It is important for the guys to take some lessons out of this.”

Match Summary:

West Indies 165 for 6 (Gayle 63, Pollard 36, Usteya 2-41) beat Zimbabwe 161 (Coventry 57, Sammy 3-32, Rampaul 2-21) by four wickets

Man of the Match: Chris Gayle

Man of the Series: Chris Gayle

Clarke will resume practice with the Test squad on Tuesday after joining his New South Wales teammates Simon Katich, Steve Smith, Phillip Hughes and Marcus North. Clarke had returned home in the middle of the one-day series to sort out his now failed relationship with Lara Bingle.

“Michael is definitely coming over. He’ll get himself prepared for the first Test,” Ponting was quoted as saying in The Australian.

Australia lost to New Zealand by 51 runs in the fifth and final one-dayer but Ponting’s side retained the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy with a three-two series win. “It has obviously been a tough time for him the last few days at home,” Ponting said. “All the guys here (in New Zealand) have given as much support as possible and he was given as much time as he needed to get everything sorted at home.”

“He’ll come back for us as vice-captain and an experienced player in the Test side. We’ll give him as much support as he needs when he joins the group again and make sure he’s ready to go,” said the Australian skipper.

Chasing 246 for victory from their allocation of 50 overs, Zimbabwe were dismissed for 104 in 31.5 overs – the lowest ODI total at the Arnos Vale Multiplex. Hamilton Masakadza was the highest scorer for Zimbabwe with 35 but no other batsman made more than 20, as the West Indies fast bowlers made light work of their batting line-up.

Kemar Roach also finished with impressive figures of 3 for 28 off 9 overs while Dwayne Bravo, returning from an injury, finished with 2 for 23.

“I am really happy with the result, and I am happy we continued from where we left off in Guyana,” said West Indies captain Chris Gayle. “Hopefully, we can continue in this vein, and finish off the job on Friday, and win the series. This is no time to relax. We still have to play hard cricket because we know that Zimbabwe will be coming back hard at us again.”

“We failed to bat properly,” said Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya. “We felt chasing 240 should not have been too much of a challenge, but we just did not bat well. The West Indies’ bowlers made use of the conditions well. They bowled in the right areas, and they deserved to win. We only have a day to sort ourselves out, but it is important that we come back strongly.”

Earlier, Zimbabwe allowed West Indies to reach a respectable 245 for nine from their 50 overs after their spinners had, once again, tied down the top order batsmen.

The tourists, however, failed to keep a lid on the West Indies scoring towards the final stages of the innings. West Indies made a late charge with Dwayne Bravo getting 24 and Narsingh Deonarine 21. Elton Chigumbura was the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers with two wickets for 43 runs from his allotment of 10 overs, and Utseya took two for 47 from 10 overs. Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit the top score of 58 from 76 balls for the West Indies.

The last two ODIs will be played at this venue on Friday and Sunday.

Match Summary:

West Indies 245 for 9 (Chanderpaul 58, Barath 35, Chigumbura 2-43) beat Zimbabwe 104 (Sammy 4-26, Roach 3-28) by 141 runs

Man of the Match: Darren Sammy

Clarke left the current one-day trip and returned to Sydney on Tuesday due to “personal issues” involving his fiancée Lara Bingle, who is at the centre of a nude photo scandal. Clarke has been given leave but Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s deputy, is unsure when the vice-captain will be back.

“I’ve talked to him over the last few days and we have a Test tour looming,” Brown said at the SCG. “I would hope he’s part of that group. But unless he’s ready to go, there’s no point going. We’ll talk again over the next couple of days and our intention hopefully is to get him back in the side for the Test match.”

The opening game begins in Wellington on March 19 and the Australian team is expecting that Clarke will be with the squad by then.

All-rounder Ryan Harris, who has recovered from an injury also returned to the Test squad, which also featured left-hand opening batsman Phillip Hughes, a Cricket Australia release said.

Meanwhile, young leg-spinner, Steven Smith, got the reward for his impressive performance in the Australian domestic circuit, as the 20-year-old was also included in the squad.

“The core of the squad is the Australian Test team that performed so well during the Australian summer in defeating West Indies and Pakistan,” Hilditch said.

“Ryan Harris, having overcome injuries at the start of the season, has played really well for Australia in the shorter formats of the game. The NSP are confident that if Ryan gets an opportunity he has the ability to have an impact for Australia in what will be a very hard Test series against New Zealand. Phillip Hughes has also been in excellent form at state level and richly deserves his selection on the back of another fantastic season in the Weet-Bix Sheffield Shield,” Hilditch said.

“Steven Smith has had an excellent Shield season, including a big century against Tasmania recently, and of course has already demonstrated his ability to cope with the pressure of international cricket. He adds great flexibility to the squad with his exciting stroke-play, leg-spin bowling and gifted fielding,” the chief selector added.

Wellington will host the first Test and the second one will be held at Hamilton from March 27.

Squad: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Phillip Hughes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Clint McKay, Marcus North, Steven Smith, Shane Watson.

Haddin smashed seven fours and five huge sixes en route to a 121-ball 110 as Australia chased down the victory target of 245 with 2.4 overs to spare at Seddon Park. Haddin was ably assisted by skipper Ricky Ponting, who scored 69 as Australia came back from 0-1 down to go into a series lead.

Australia, who went into the game without Vice-captain Michael Clarke who quit the tour due to personal reasons, won the toss and put New Zealand into bat. And the Australian bowlers didn’t disappoint their skipper as the Black Caps could not even bat out their full quota of overs. Paceman Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson picked up three wickets each.

Ross Taylor was the top scorer for the Kiwis with 62 but none of the other batsmen capitalised on their starts. Scott Styris, who won New Zealand the first game with the bat, scored 41.

Australia didn’t get off to the best of starts in their run chase as Shane Watson was run out early, but Haddin and Ponting steadied the visitors with a 151-run stand for the second wicket. Ponting’s 71-ball knock included nine boundaries.

New Zealand hit back with two quick wickets of Ponting and Mike Hussey, before Haddin was stumped with 16 runs more to chase. But it was all a bit too late as Cameron White and Adam Voges ensured that there were no further hiccups.

Match Summary:

Australia 248 for 4 (Haddin 110, Ponting 69) beat New Zealand 245 (Taylor 62, Johnson 3-41, Harris 3-48) by 6 wickets

Man of the Match: Brad Haddin

The Black Caps went into Saturday’s second game in Auckland without leading batsman Ross Taylor, who pulled out of the side with a hamstring injury suffered during Wednesday’s opening clash in Napier.

New Zealand’s injury worries were compounded when all-rounder James Franklin broke down with a hamstring strain in Saturday’s match.

“Shanan has been in our thinking for the Twenty20 World Cup. He’s in great nick, he’s got a couple of hundreds and a 200 today (227 not out for Canterbury against Central Districts),” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch as saying. “He’s an experienced middle order player, a very dynamic one-day player and we feel he plays the aggressive game we’re looking to play against the Australians.”

Greatbatch said Taylor and Franklin will “most likely” miss Tuesday’s game. “But I think there’s a chance of them playing again in this series. Probably Ross more so than Franky. We just need to get through the next 24 hours and see,” he said.

Just four days after pulling off a historic Twenty20 International victory in Port of Spain, Zimbabwe drew first blood in the five-match series to further humiliate the hosts, who failed to successfully chase 255 in 50 overs.

“I’m very proud of the guys,” he said. “It was a very good team effort, and it was important that we keep the momentum going.”

“I said after we won the toss it was the average score when West Indies played here last year against England, so we just believed in ourselves that we could get 250, and with the way we’re bowling at the moment it would be enough.” He added. “West Indies are still a good side. We still respect them. For us to beat them, we need to make sure that we play hard, remain focused, pay attention to the small things, and remain disciplined.”

Zimbabwe owed their victory to fast-medium bowler Shingirai Masakadza, and it was a huge gamble that Utseya took when he entrusted the final over to the 23-year-old ODI debutant.

After Nikita Miller struck 11 from the first three balls, Masakadza bowled Dwayne Smith for four, and had Sulieman Benn caught at deep mid-wicket next ball to swing the match in Zimbabwe’s favour.

“He managed to remain calm under pressure, and that was key, so he can learn from that going into the next game. Of course, he will have many more moments like this in his career,” Utseya said.

Vusimuzi Sibanda had earlier put the Zimbabweans on the path to victory when he anchored the innings with 95, which earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.

“Usually, I like to score quickly, but it was not one of those days for me, so I decided that I would go out there, and take my time,” he said. “Initially, I thought our total was sufficient, but then I had my doubts, following the start from West Indies. Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath made it difficult for our bowlers, but we always thought it was a decent total. The tour has started really nicely for us. It’s good to start off with a couple of wins, and hopefully we can continue playing well in the upcoming games.”

“In the Australia series, I saw improvements in the likes of Pollard and Smith,” said Gayle. “To come here and the way they went about it, I must say I am very disappointed in those two guys and Ramdin. Those guys were key for us, and the way they went about it, was a terrible display. It’s very disappointing, and sad to see how they went about it.”

All three batsmen under question were clean bowled trying to play extravagant shots, but Smith’s dismissal with four runs required off the last three balls was particularly painful.

“Zimbabwe are here to win,” said Gayle. “There is no way we can underestimate them. We saw what they have to offer in the Twenty20 International (on Sunday). Zimbabwe have beaten Australia. It is not a team that we are taking for granted. They are here to win just like us, and credit must go to them. The way they pushed and ran hard between the wickets showed how hungry and determined they are.”

Gayle cautioned his side that if they fail to respond to the challenge adequately, they run the risk suffering a hugely embarrassing series whitewash.

“Well done to Zimbabwe, they did well,” he said. “They wanted it more than us. You could see from the way they went about their batting, running between the wickets, and the aggression. We got off to a good start, but we faltered in the middle, two crucial run outs again, and then some. I don’t know how to describe it; a terrible display of batting at the end.”

“We are rebuilding, but if we don’t learn, we’re still going to get beaten. If we continue like this Zimbabwe will beat us 5-0. No excuses. It was a terrible display, and some immature cricket. We need to dig ourselves quickly out of this hole. There are a lot of things to put on the table and discuss,” said the West Indian skipper.

Gayle also urged the West Indies fans to not give up on the team because the series was still open. He reminded everyone that West Indies had also fallen behind in their previous ODI series against Zimbabwe, and rebounded to win that series 4-1.

“We are still going to need that support regardless of the result,” he said. “When you do crap, it’s definitely crap, and there is no excuse. Guys have to take responsibility out there in the middle. It is just sad and disappointing.”

The second ODI will be played on Saturday at the same venue.

It’s very rare to see a bowler, who has gone for 12 an over in the match, be the hero for the winning side. Masakada, on his ODI debut, scalped three wickets – two in the final over – for 36 runs from three overs to help Zimbabwe successfully defend a target of 255 on a typically slow Guyana National Stadium pitch.

The victory gave Zimbabwe a 1-0 lead in the five-match series with the second match set for the same venue on Saturday.

Earlier, opener Vusimuzi Sibanda had struck five fours and one six in 95 from 162 balls to be the cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s 254 for five from their quota of 50 overs after they decided to bat.

In reply, West Indies got off to a very good start with the openers, Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath, adding 99 runs for the first wicket in 23 overs before Gayle was lbw to Lamb. Shivnarine Chanderpaul held one end up after that even as wickets kept falling from the other end.

It all came down to the final over, and Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya gambled with Masakadza, who had figures of 0-24 off his first two overs.

The 23-year-old fast-medium bowler conceded a six, a four, and a single to Nikita Miller off the first three balls of the final over before he bowled Dwayne Smith for four, and had Sulieman Benn caught at deep mid-wicket off successive balls. Needing four to win of the final ball, Kemar Roach could only manage a single to give Zimbabwe a 2-run victory.

Zimbabwe’s spinners once again choked the West Indies’ top-order. Their four frontline spinners – captain Prosper Utseya, Ray Price, Graeme Cremer, and Greg Lamb – delivered 40 overs at four runs apiece, and removed Gayle and Kieron Pollard, West Indies’ two most dangerous hitters.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul top scored with a run-a-ball 70 while home team captain Chris Gayle made 57 from 66 balls, and fellow opener Adrian Barath 50 from 96 balls on debut.

Zimbabwe had earlier won the one-off twenty20 international by 26 runs.

Match Summary:

Zimbabwe 254 for 5 (Sibanda 95, Taibu 56) beat West Indies 252 for 9 (Chanderpaul 70, Gayle 57, Barath 50, S Masakadza 3-36)

Man of the Match: V Sibanda