Clarke out of Australia's WC opener against England

Melbourne, Feb 12: Australia coach Darren Lehmann Thursday confirmed captain Michael Clarke is on track to return against Bangladesh, but has ruled him out of Saturday’s ICC World Cup opener against England here. Clarke top scored 64, bowled a couple of overs and fielded during Wednesday’s warm-up game against the United Arab Emirates. Coach Darren Lehmann noted the 33-year-old pulled up “really well” and was “very keen” to play against England. However, Lehmann and Australian selectors, team medical staff and Clarke came to the conclusion that on Feb 21 would be a more sensible return date for the captain. “He’s very keen to play. But we’ve got to make sure when he gets back he’s ready to go and he will be come on Saturday week,” Lehmann was quoted as saying by The Australian. “Everyone was sitting around talking about it and making sure we make the right decision. He just had a chat. He’s respectful of what we’re trying to do to get him right. We would have loved to have him available for this first game, but we’re making sure he’s 100 percent ready to go for Bangladesh.” IANS