'Our dressing room will never be the same' - Clarke

Australia's distraught captain Michael Clarke has spoken about Phillip Hughes on behalf of the national team, revealing that his No. 64 ODI shirt will be retired out of respect for their departed friend and teammate.

Clarke spoke for around two and a half minutes, promising "I'll do my best" and fighting back tears with almost every sentence. During these moments it was difficult to imagine the Australian team turning out for a Test match in Brisbane as soon as Thursday next week - Clarke's predecessor Ricky Ponting has stated he does not think they can.

"Words cannot express how we feel as a team right now. To Greg, Virginia, Jason and Megan, we share in the deep pain that you're feeling," Clarke said. "Apart from when he was at home on the farm with his beloved cattle, Hughesy was at his happiest playing cricket for his country with his mates. Things were all put into perspective when Hughesy said 'where else would you rather be boys, but playing cricket for your country'.

"We're going to miss that cheeky grin and that twinkle in his eye. He epitomised what the baggy green is about and what it means to us all. the world lost one of its great blokes this week, and we are all poorer for it. Our promise to Hughesy's family is that we will do everything we can to honour his memory. Last night I asked Cricket Australia if Hughesy's Australian one day international shirt No. 64, could be retired, to which they agreed. That means so much.

"His legacy of trying to improve each and every day will drive us for the rest of our lives. We'd like to thank everyone both here and overseas for the touching tributes to Hughesy in recent days. Our dressing room will never be the same. We loved him and always will. Rest in peace, Bruzzy."

Clarke paused longest before uttering the words "our dressing room will never be the same". Knowing this, Ponting has expressed his belief that the first Test against India should not go ahead as scheduled.

The match is due to begin at the Gabba on Thursday. However, on Friday CA's chief executive James Sutherland said that cricket would go on "when we're ready", and added that the players had not yet been consulted about their feelings on whether the Test should go ahead.

It is believed the Hughes family wants the Test to go ahead, but the raw emotions displayed by Clarke while reading a statement from the Australia team and staff on Saturday morning made it hard to imagine the players being ready to take the field again so soon. Ponting said it would be a miracle if they were in the right frame of mind for a Test.

"It's been such a tragic week for the Hughes family and the cricket community and I can't imagine how anybody can be expected to play Test cricket on Thursday," Ponting wrote in the Weekend Australian. "In fact I don't think it would be right. Even if the boys think they can play, it would be a miracle if they find the right frame of mind needed for five days of cricket."

Ian Chappell has said he believes the Test would provide the players a good opportunity to concentrate on something else, after several days of grieving. That sentiment was echoed by Allan Border, who said it would all come down to whether the players wanted the match to go ahead.

"My personal view is that rather than sitting around I think they might be better off playing," Border said on Fox Sports. "It would be very difficult, I'm not shying away from that. Sitting around in your room you're going to be thinking about it 24/7."

India's tour match against a Cricket Australia XI, which was due to take place in Adelaide on Friday and Saturday, was cancelled after Hughes died on Thursday. Sunil Gavaskar said it was difficult to imagine the players being in the right frame of mind to play the first Test.

"I guess it's something the boards will have to look at," Gavaskar said on NDTV in India. "The first Test is almost a week away but I am sure nobody would be in a mood to play. Nobody would be in the right frame of mind."