Australia Captain Clarke doubtful for Champions Trophy opener

Wednesday, 5 June 2013 00:35 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Australia captain Michael Clarke is a doubt for their opening Champions Trophy match against England on Saturday due to an on-going back problem, Cricket Australia said on Tuesday.

Clarke sat out their final warm-up game against India in Cardiff on Tuesday after missing last Saturday’s match against West Indies.

“Michael is still experiencing some lower back pain and as such is not fit for the warm-up game against India today,” said Cricket Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris in a statement.

“Michael will head to London tomorrow for specialist treatment and a decision on his fitness for the next game will be made in due course.” The absence of Clarke would be a boost for England, who have concerns over bowlers Stuart Broad and Steve Finn, while bludgeoning batsman Kevin Pietersen has already been ruled out.

Australia’s stand-in 50 overs captain is 30-year-old George Bailey, their Twenty20 skipper, who led them to a comfortable victory over West Indies.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.