I feel a lot fitter and healthier, says Clarke

Sydney, Feb 20: Michael Clarke says there will be no restrictions on where he fields in his return from injury for Australia's weather-threatened World Cup match with Bangladesh tomorrow.

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Clarke missed Australia's 111-run thrashing of England in Melbourne last weekend as he continued his recovery from his latest bout of hamstring trouble.

But the onset of Tropical Cyclone Marcia on the Queensland coast has placed the match in extreme doubt with a forecast of torrential rain.

Clarke says he has done his match preparation and was ready to play if the game went ahead. "My training has been fantastic and I've been pushed to the limit, which has been great for my confidence," Clarke wrote in his column in Friday's Daily Telegraph.

"Our physio Alex Kountouris made it very clear to me he wanted to push me as hard as possible so that when I walk out onto the field I know I've done everything at training.

"I've had a number of tests and I've passed all those the whole way through my recovery. If I can prove to the medical staff that I am ready to go, I know I've also proved it to myself.

"Of course, it doesn't guarantee you're never going to get injured again, but I feel like I've done the work to get back out onto the park and I'm really excited."

Clarke said he would not be protected when Australia go out to field in his next World Cup match. "There are no restrictions on me in the field whatsoever - and I made that very clear," Clarke said.

'I feel a lot fitter and healthier'

"I didn't want to have to field in a certain position or restrict my input. Instead, I wanted to be able to go 100 miles an hour, run, dive and throw - and I feel a lot fitter and healthier than I have in a long time."

Clarke said Australia will not be taking one-day minnows Clarke said Australia will not be taking one-day minnows Bangladesh lightly. "I was in Cardiff back in 2005 when we lost to Bangladesh in a one-dayer, and also in Harare last year when we went down to Zimbabwe," he said.

"Those occasions prove you simply can't take any team lightly. We've studied the Bangladesh players - we know their strengths and their weaknesses just like any other team we play against.

"Our Australian side has found out plenty of times before that there are no certainties in cricket, and we are ready for a tough challenge at the Gabba."

Bangladesh began their World Cup campaign with a 105-run win over Afghanistan in Canberra on Wednesday.

AFP