Veteran batsman George Bailey says it’s about time people stop taking cheap shots at Michael Clarke as the team starts plotting its path towards World Cup glory.

Clarke has come under fire since leading Australia to a disastrous 2-0 series loss to Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

The 33-year-old averaged just 14.25 during the series, leading some people to question whether he was still the right man to lead Australia.

But Bailey says it’s unwarranted for people to criticise Clarke given his strong overall record as a captain, which includes a 5-0 Ashes series win over England and an away Test series win against South Africa.

Former captains Ricky Ponting, Allan Border and Steve Waugh have also thrown their support behind Clarke.

“If you look at his record it speaks for itself,” Bailey said on Tuesday.

“It (the captaincy) is obviously a position people care a lot about. The Australian cricket team means a lot to people. So that’s a great thing for cricket.

“But I’ll back Pup to the hilt in terms of his performance and what he’s done.

“I’m backing him to respond the one way that we know he does, and that’s with steely determination and big runs.”

Australia’s World Cup prospects will become a tad clearer over the next fortnight during their five-match, one-day series against South Africa, starting in Perth this Friday.

With a host of players still attempting to cement their spots in the one-day side, Bailey said the series would be a good chance for Clarke to get a better feel of what weapons he’ll have available for the World Cup.

“I wouldn’t like to be a selector at the moment,” Bailey said.

“We’ve got a lot of guys around the country playing a lot of good cricket. It’s going to be hard to nut that out.

“I’m sure that will be in the back of Michael Clarke’s mind in terms of his batting orders and who he wants bowling at the death.

“There’s every chance South Africa will be featuring at the back end of the World Cup, so this will be a really good starting point to find out where we are as a team.”

South Africa beat Australia during the recent one-day tri-series in Africa, but Bailey said his side were keen to turn the tables on home soil.