SYDNEY (AP) - Australia cricket vice captain Michael Clarke has ended his engagement to model Lara Bingle, ending nearly a week of speculation about their relationship.

A public relations firm representing Clarke said Friday that the star batsman and Bingle had decided to end their marriage plans.

Clarke returned to Australia from the team's tour of New Zealand earlier this week after the 22-year-old Bingle gave an exclusive interview with an Australian magazine over a nude picture scandal.

She said Brendan Fevola, an Australian Rules football player, had circulated a photo of her taken in a shower during an affair between the pair in 2006, and she was seeking to sue him in court.

Local media earlier reported that Clarke was opposed to Bingle granting the interview and that the story had caused a rift between the couple.

"Michael Clarke and Lara Bingle have decided to end their engagement," a statement from Clarke's agency said. "No further comment will be made."

Last week, Australia captain Ricky Ponting said Clarke had the full support of the national team.

"He knows from all of us within the team that he has got all the support that he needs," Ponting said. "The last thing that I said to him last night before he left was for him to take as much time as he needed."