Michael Clarke might have impressed and got through without too many problems in the warm-up game against UAE on Wednesday, but Australia will not risk their skipper for the ICC World Cup 2015 opener against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Clarke made 64 in 61 balls opening the innings against the UAE, as Australia romped to a 188-run win. Seeing the batting performance, Cricket Australia and the team management might have been tempted to include the captain for the crunch encounter against England in a couple of days' time, but the Aussies are going to err on the side of caution and wait for their second match on 21 February against Bangladesh at the Gabba, which was the original return date for Clarke.
"Happy with the way he pulled up and really happy with his progress," said Australia coach Darren Lehmann said. "But we're going to stick with the plan and he'll play against Bangladesh.
"Really happy with the way it's gone, the way he batted, ran, fielded, bowled, he ticked all the boxes. A good solid week and get prepared for Bangladesh."
Clarke underwent a light training session to test out his hamstring, and while the player remains keen on being involved from the off against England, Australia's decision to hold him back for another week is understandable considering the nature of his injury and the amount of times it has recurred.
"He's very keen to play but we've got to make sure that when he gets back he'll be ready to go, and he will be on Saturday [next] week," Lehmann said. "We just had a chat.
"He's respectful of what we're trying to do, get him right. He's a quality player and a quality leader. Whilst we would have loved to have him available for this game, we're making sure he's 100 percent and ready to go for Bangladesh."
Another player who will also definitely miss the match against England is James Faulkner, who went through light training session as well, and Lehmann is confident of the key all-rounder's quick recovery.
"He's batting comfortably now, so that's a good sign for us," added the Australia coach. "We're just dictated by the medical team at the moment with that. Hopefully he'll resume bowling very shortly. We'll wait and see on that one."
