Australian skipper Clarke praises 'amazing' career of retiring Ponting

Australia captain Michael Clarke has paid tribute to the "amazing" Ricky Ponting after his former skipper announced his retirement from all forms of the game.

Ponting, one of the outstanding batsmen of his generation, announced on Thursday he would quit all professional cricket in October.

"He's been an amazing player, there's no doubt about it, and [he's] done so much for the game of cricket," Clarke said.

Ponting, 38, called time on his international career in December but has continued to play in several domestic competitions, including the English County Championship where he is currently appearing for Surrey.

His form has been sparkling with Ponting hitting 192 on his Surrey debut this month, after having been named the Australian domestic Sheffield Shield player of the year in March.

It sparked talk that he should be called out of international retirement to play the Ashes series in England, with Australia struggling after a series of disciplinary incidents and a poor ICC Champions Trophy campaign.