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Michael Clarke's return at Cricket World Cup has team-mates' 'full support' | |
(4 months later) | |
The return of regular Australia captain Michael Clarke for the second World Cup match against Bangladesh has the team’s “full support” even if it will be tough to change a winning side, fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has said. | |
On his comeback from hamstring surgery, Clarke is expected to pad up for Saturday’s match in Brisbane, meeting the deadline to prove his fitness or sit out the World Cup entirely. | |
Clarke’s return is likely to mean stand-in skipper George Bailey is tipped from the side after leading them to a 111-run demolition of England in the opener in Melbourne and scoring a useful half-century. | |
“I love the captaincy that he [Clarke] brings,” Johnson said in Brisbane on Tuesday. “He has got so much experience and George does as well. But Michael Clarke has been the captain for a number of years now. I know he has the boys’ full support.” | |
Clarke played his first match with the team in two months last week, top-scoring with a 64 in a warm-up outing against United Arab Emirates. That prompted pundits to question why he was rested for England. | |
Coach Darren Lehmann said Clarke needed to do more tests this week, particularly in the field, to prove himself ready. | |
Clarke’s race to be fit has been something of a soap opera in Australia and an unsourced report by Fairfax media last month alleged a rift between the 33-year-old, his players and the country’s cricket board. | |
Lehmann, Clarke and seasoned all-rounder Shane Watson all dismissed the innuendo in recent weeks, while Johnson said the captain’s rehabilitation had not distracted the team. | |
“I know that he is ready to go,” Johnson said. “But I don’t know from a playing point of view what the plan is. He is doing what he needs to do. He is not making it a distraction for us. Whenever that chance is when he gets back in we will be ready for him.“ | |
Australia’s big win over England reinforced their status as favourites to seal a record fifth World Cup title, and Johnson said it would be hard for selectors to change the line-up for Bangladesh. | |
“It will be. It was a pretty short meeting after the game,” said the 33-year-old. “But we can always get better at certain things, not lose wickets so closely together. | |
“[But] the fielding was outstanding throughout that innings. If we can keep that intensity up I think we are going to have confidence throughout this tournament. |
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