Australia captain Michael Clarke has begun his Dubai campaign to prove his fitness for the first Test against Pakistan by completing a series of light run-throughs at Friday’s training session.

Clarke, who arrived in Dubai mid-week, has been ruled out of the one-day series starting on Tuesday.

The skipper suffered a hamstring injury in the ODI match against hosts Zimbabwe on August 31.

While the 33-year-old’s running action looked a little laboured, at times going at half-pace, his session with physio Alex Kountouris and team doctor Peter Brukner lasted over half an hour in the hot afternoon sun at the ICC Academy.

Clarke will be aiming to return to full fitness for the four-day game against Pakistan A starting on October 15 in Sharjah, followed by the first Test in Dubai on October 22.

In another positive sign for Australia, left-armer Mitchell Johnson bowled at something close to full pace in a centre-wicket session.

Johnson missed the Champions League Twenty20 event in India this week because of a rib complaint.

While Clarke and Johnson appear to be making varying levels of progress ahead of the first Test, uncapped allrounder Mitchell Marsh didn’t join in full training on Friday because of a hamstring strain suffered in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Kountouris said Marsh would be a chance to play against Pakistan A as a batsman only and bringing the 22-year-old back to full fitness as a bowler would be the “tricky part”.