Clarke 'confident' he will be fit

County Cricket / Editor / 03 March 2007 /

" class="free_bet_btn" rel="external" onclick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/G4/inline-freebet');" target="_blank">

Australia batsman Michael Clarke is confident that he is winning his battle against his troublesome hip injury.

Clarke has been getting round-the-clock treatment on the problem area after pulling out of the one-day series in New Zealand. The New South Wales right-hander has since resumed light training and says he will be ready for Australia's opening World Cup clash against Scotland on March 13.

"I've had a couple of batting sessions and I haven't been getting as much pain, so I'm feeling good," he said.
"I haven't done too much running, so I'll have to do a bit over the next couple of days and see how it pulls up.
"But I've got my fingers crossed. I'm pretty confident it's going to be fine."

Clarke will bat at number four for the Aussies if he is declared fit and is hoping to make a big impact as he and his team-mates aim for an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup.

"It's the number one stage for one-day cricket," he added. "That gives every individual an opportunity to step up on such a big stage.

"Hopefully, I'll get the chance to stay batting at four and there'll be plenty of opportunity to get out there and score some runs.
"Therefore, I'll be working my backside off over the next couple of weeks to make sure I'm ready to go for the first game."

Australia are 1.72 favourites to win Group A, ahead of South Africa (2.38), and the 3.4 favourites to triumph in the West Indies. Clarke is also trading at 75 to end the tournament as the top run scorer.

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>