Meanwhile, Clarke believes England can put the on-field upheavals of 2009 behind them and regain the Ashes from Australia this summer.

English cricket was in disarray at the start of the year as both captain Kevin Pietersen and head coach Peter Moores were forced to resign. Under new team director Andy Flower and Captain Andrew Strauss, however, England enjoyed a 2-0 whitewash over the West Indies.

"Andrew Strauss has been a calm and decisive leader and has united the dressing room," Clarke said. "Andy Flower is an extremely focused and impressive man and has time to establish what he wants."

Flower's decision in 2003 to wear a black armband during a Cricket World Cup match to protest against the policies of Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe helped the Zimbabwean get the England job, Clarke said.

"He is a highly principled man and this was emphasized to the board in the selection process for why he should be appointed head coach. Cricket is not like all our other sports, so having a head coach with a high moral compass is a good thing," Clarke said.

"In all human endeavour if you have a respected leadership and they have gathered a team that is clear in what they want to accomplish and they have the skills you stand an extremely good chance. There's no doubt they will receive a great deal of support within the grounds, which is always helpful. The changes take time to work through but what has been done has been impressive."