Reports: Michael Clarke unlikely to play Test series against India, Brad Haddin to captain

Michael Clarke

According to reports, Australian captain Michael Clarke is set to miss the entire Test series against India that begins next month due to a recurring hamstring injury which has already forced him to miss the rest of the 5-match ODI series against South Africa.

The 33-year-old’s hamstring injury resurfaced during his innings against the Proteas at the WACA on Friday, where he was dismissed by Dale Steyn for 11. With the World Cup and the Ashes scheduled within the next 10 months, Cricket Australia do not want to risk Clarke in the Tests against India.

Surgery for Clarke?

CA team manager Pat Howard said that the team are hopeful Clarke will be back within two months, in time for the World Cup.

“Everything is on the table at this point and we saw (fast bowler) Nathan Coulter-Nile go through hamstring surgery and come back in eight weeks,” Howard said.

“Obviously that’s one possibility yes, but there are a lot of processes to actually go through. We’ve gone down a conservative process a couple of times to keep him playing and he got through a couple of Tests in the UAE, but we’re not going to close any doors at this point.

“The priorities are (World Cup and Ashes) and sometimes you’ve got to take a little bit more medium-term or longer-term picture. We’ve seen him rush back and what we’d hate is for him to play a Test or two and then break down. We’d like to do this right.

“There is an opportunity to get the best out of the last few years of his career.”

Brad Haddin to captain Australia

Howard confirmed that wicket-keeper Brad Haddin will captain the Australian Test team in the absence of Clarke. The 37-year-old is also undergoing treatment for a shoulder injury he suffered during the second Test in the series against Pakistan in the UAE.

With MS Dhoni also missing the first Test of the upcoming series, it would mean that both teams will go into the Brisbane Test with two skippers who have never captained their country in the longest format of the game before.

“This is a board matter but I will be applying to the board for Brad Haddin to be the captain of Australia. Nice and simple. Brad’s done a pretty good job as vice-captain supporting Michael. We’re not looking for a succession planning captain at this time. We are looking for a person that is ready to go now and we’ve got a lot of other people in the future who might put their hands up,” Howard added.