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"VICE-captain Michael Clarke has quit Australia's cricket tour of New Zealand and returned to Sydney for personal reasons.
A spokesman said Clarke left the team hotel in Hamilton on the eve of today's third one-day international against the Black Caps and it was not known when he would return.
His departure is thought to be related to his fiancee, Lara Bingle, who has announced she's suing AFL player Brendan Fevola over a nude photo she claims Fevola took without her permission.
But Clarke may also have left for family reasons, as his father, Les, has been battling cancer for some time.
It's believed Clarke had a meeting with captain Ricky Ponting, coach Tim NIelsen and head selector Andrew Hilditch and it was agreed he should take a break from the tour.
In Clarke's absence, Australian cricket coach Tim Nielsen will be forced to make one change to his winning team for today's match.
The tourists got themselves back into the five-match series with a tense 12-run win in the second game in Auckland on Saturday and Clarke's departure has reduced the squad to 12 players.
Ricky Ponting's side face a gruelling week with a fourth ODI clash back in Auckland on Thursday and the final match in Wellington two days later.
"Winning form is good form isn't it so it's hard to change the team. But we're also mindful of the fact that there's three games in five days,'' Nielsen said before Clarke's departure was announced.
Doug Bollinger (0-63 off eight overs on Saturday) may face competition from fellow quick Clint McKay for his spot.
Nielsen and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said today's clash was a massive game in the context of the Chappell-Hadlee series.
"To win this game and take the momentum will certainly help. We play three games in five days now so the time to travel and prepare now is minimal,'' Nielsen said.
The Black Caps have been hit hard by injury, with star batsman Ross Taylor and all-rounder James Franklin both rated by Vettori as only 50-50 chances because of hamstring strains.
"It's probably the most important game of the series. The team that can go two-one up only needs to win one more to take out the series,'' Vettori said.
"So we're trying to put everything into this game. We enjoy playing here.
"It's a great cricket ground so the guys are pretty excited about being here.''
A sell-out crowd of about 10,000 are expected to pack into Hamilton's Seddon Park, with fine conditions forecast.
The game is due to start at noon, Melbourne time"
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