Having trained the house down, Michael Clarke has one more test before he returns to the Australian cricket team.
Clarke must prove his readiness at Tuesday training ahead of Wednesday’s pre-World Cup hitout against the UAE at the MCG.
He has been out of action for two months with a hamstring injury and his Cup availability has been the subject of intense debate.
Clarke played for an Australian XI last week in Brisbane against Bangladesh without any problems.
“Michael, if he gets through training (on Tuesday), hopefully he’ll play the trial game on Wednesday,” coach Darren Lehmann told Fox Sports.
“He’s trained the house down … now it’s a case of getting up to speed with the fielding and away he goes from there.”
The most likely scenario is that regardless of whether he plays on Wednesday, Clarke will probably rest for Saturday’s Cup opener against England.
Lehmann said allrounder James Faulkner was also making good progress as he recovers from a side strain and will bat at Tuesday’s training.
Meanwhile, the bad news for England is that Australian paceman Mitch Johnson feels he will only keep improving after his layoff.
Johnson returned to the Australian team on February 1 after a month off and tore through the England top order in a one dayer, taking 3-27.
“It was nice, for me personally, to have probably a month off not playing cricket and then to come out and perform was a really good sign,” he said.
“I always say I feel I get better the more I bowl, so I feel like I’m in a really good situation.
“I’ve freshened up and I know where I’m at with my game.”
Johnson raised eyebrows on Monday when he was asked whether he was planning his playing workload beyond the World Cup.
Without prompting, Johnson started talking in general tems about retirement.
“I used to it, but it just gets too much,” he said.
“I really am just taking it day-by-day, or game-by-game and making the most of every opportunity I get.
“I’m 33, there’s questions about when I’m going to retire, I’m sure, or if I’m going to play all formats for the next couple of years.
“I just need to focus on the games I play in and play the best cricket that I can and enjoy it.”
