Form to dictate who Clarke replaces: Bailey

George Bailey isn’t shying away from the fact he could be the man to make way for returning captain Michael Clarke in the ICC Cricket World Cup.

A lot has been made about Australia’s log-jammed one-day international middle order, with Bailey, Clarke and the prolific Steve Smith quite possibly vying for two positions.

Cricket.com.au columnist Damien Fleming has said if Clarke is fit Bailey would miss out altogether, going from captaining the side to carrying the drinks.

Quick Single: Bailey skipper or 12th man

And the Tasmanian is well aware of the scenario if or when Clarke re-joins the World Cup squad, and that there’s only one thing he can do: score runs.

“If I’m not scoring runs, and they pick him, then that’s fine,” Bailey said in Sydney ahead of Monday's Australia Day clash with India.

“That’s the nature of the game. You’re scoring runs or you’re not scoring runs. You get picked or you don’t. It’s a really basic equation.

“If Pup’s there, one of the batsmen makes way.

“Whether that’s me or someone else, that’s how it is.

“I’ll keep saying it, when anyone talks about our chances in the World Cup and the strength of Australia’s one-day team at the moment is that squad mentality, whether it’s in the XI or in the 15, everyone will play a role.

“I’m very, very comfortable with it.”

Signs are looking good for the injured Clarke who continues to rehab his surgically repaired hamstring, even bowling his left-arm orthodox spinners in the nets yesterday.

And while the full-time captain gradually returns to full fitness, his deputy’s form may make the decision easier when Clarke does return to the starting XI.

Bailey has scored only one half-century in his last 10 ODIs, but the Tasmanian feels confident in the nets as his role in the team changes.

“It’ll sound a bit silly but I think we’ve been batting really well as a group so in terms of my role I’ve been coming in a touch later than when I’ve been scoring big runs.

“I said to ‘Diva’ (batting coach Michael Di Venuto) the other day, I feel like I’m batting as well as I ever have, it’s just about getting that out and getting some balls in the middle.

“But hopefully we continue batting as well as we are at the top of the order and that role continues to be a finishing role in the end.”

Whether it’s Bailey or Clarke, or both, who captain Australia in the World Cup, the current skipper says the chopping and changing of leaders won’t negatively impact the tournament co-hosts’ chances in what is his team, for the moment at least.

“To Michael’s credit, when he hasn’t played he’s allowed it to be my team,” Bailey said.

“In a lot of the tours where it’s happened overseas and he’s still been there I know that’s probably difficult for him to be able to step back.

“And that’s really helped me to not put a stamp on things because I don’t think I do too much differently. I’m pretty collaborative in the way I try to approach things.

“But certainly at the moment, and once again back to the squad, we’ve got guys who have done the same role and played a lot of cricket.

“I don’t think it’s Michael’s team or my team, it’s just our team at the moment.”