Clarke forecasts Sri Lanka success
Ever the optimist, Australia's new captain Michael Clarke has refused
to concede his team may be facing some painful days ahead as he departed
for a tour of Sri Lanka, which will be followed by series against South
Africa and India.
Australia's Test squad featured a handful of names that were a
surprise even to Clarke - he is still to meet the offspin bowler Nathan
Lyon - but he reasoned this newness would help foster an attitude of
enthusiasm and keenness to work hard in Sri Lanka and beyond. "I'd like
to say no, to be honest.
I really hope we can turn things around straight away," Clarke said
at Sydney airport when asked if short-term pain should be expected.
"I think it is going to take time for us to work our way back up the
rankings, but I'm confident with the talent we have, not only in our
squads but around domestic cricket, if we keep the same attitude we've
had over the last couple of months with our training and our dedication,
if we continue on this road I can see us having some success.
Lyon was not part of the Australian team training camps in Brisbane
that Clarke enthused over, and will meet many of his new team-mates for
the first time when he arrives in Colombo later in August.
Clarke, however, did not hesitate to suggest that he and the left-arm
spinner Michael Beer would be used in tandem on pitches likely to take
plenty of turn. "I think we have a good combination, a left-arm orthodox
and a right arm finger spinner, which is good to have two different
spinners, as a bowling partnership in tandem I think that can really
work well together," Clarke said.
"I haven't seen much of Nathan Lyon, he's had a great tour to
Zimbabwe with the Australia A team and I've heard some great reports of
his bowling over there, so he gets an opportunity to come to Sri Lanka
and bowl in what are generally pretty good spinning conditions.
Clarke also dispelled any concerns about his sometimes tender back,
which made him retire hurt during a practice match in Brisbane last
month.
It had previously flared at the outset of the Ashes series.
"It's going really well, it's been again the same as the last 15
years, plenty of physio, plenty of maintenance," said Clarke.
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