Injured Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke has raised hopes he will be fit for some of the World Cup.
While Clarke doubts he will be ready for Australia’s opening game on February 14 against England at the MCG, he is bullish that he can play a role in the tournament.
It is a far cry from his pessimism after the first Test against India in Adelaide, where Clarke wondered aloud whether he would play any cricket again.
Clarke hurt his back during the Adelaide Test and then tore his right hamstring while fielding.
He had hamstring surgery in Melbourne before Christmas and it proved a success.
“I don’t think it’s probably realistic for me to be 100 per cent fit for the first game, but I think I will certainly be fit and available for the majority of the World Cup,” he told Channel Nine on Saturday.
“Obviously it comes down to the selectors taking that risk.
“I think the advantage with the World Cup selection of 15 is you can take a player, if he’s not fit you can rule him out of the tournament and bring someone else in.
“I’m hoping the selectors will give me that opportunity.”
Australia must name their World Cup squad by January 8.
Clarke had to overcome a left hamstring injury to play in the emotion-charged Adelaide Test and then hurt his right hamstring during the match.
He said he was extremely emotional when he said post-match that it could be the last time he played.
“I had to address how bad my hamstring injury was, how bad my back was,” Clarke said.
He added a few things changed for him once he had the operation.
“The surgeon was extremely positive about my injury – I had no previous damage to that tendon,” he said.
“All he could find was the acute injury there.
“In fixing that he said, in regards to re-stitching the tendon together, it went as well as it possibly could.
“I took a lot of confidence out of the surgeon giving me that information.”
Once Clarke was told the surgery had gone well, he was determined to do everything possible to return to the national team.
“I’m really confident, the way that things are progressing at the moment, as long as I continue to tick every box, that I will be a part of that World Cup team.”
