Cautious Clarke eyes cricket return

As the chorus of opinion as to who is best placed to take over as captain of Australia's Test team, the man appointed to the job is quietly making progress towards a recovery that would see him lead them on to the field for the summer's opening Test.

While Michael Clarke's recurring hamstring injury remains central to the ongoing national discussion about standby options and succession plans, the wounded skipper is cautiously eyeing a return to the playing field sooner rather than later.

Cricket Australia's Executive General Manager of Team Performance, Pat Howard, has already indicated that all options remain on the table in terms of Clarke having opportunities to prove his fitness for the Test campaign.

And Australia coach Darren Lehmann has made it clear that Clarke – along with most of those under consideration for the first Test – will need to have played some red ball cricket before the team for that Gabba match is finalised.

With that in mind, and if Clarke continues his recovery after scans revealed less damage to his left leg than was initially feared, he might turn out for his Sydney grade club Western Suburbs and/or for New South Wales in the weeks leading into the Test series.

The Blues are scheduled to play a Bupa Sheffield Shield match against South Australia that begins at the Sydney Cricket Ground next Tuesday.

And, should he take part in and safely negotiate that fixture, Clarke would be rated a genuine chance of leading Australia into the first Commonwealth Bank Test against India in Brisbane on December 4.

"Obviously with a Test coming up if he'd get to play that, he'd have to play the Shield game before the Test match to make himself available for that," Lehmann told Adelaide radio station 5AA last night.

"It's a tight timeline at the moment.

"He (Clarke) is back in Sydney now, we're just waiting for the outcome of all the results and make a plan from there.

"He's seen some specialists, he's getting some ideas and working out how he's travelling.

"Only time will tell.

"Hopefully it's not too bad but until we speak to all the medicos and staff and see what's happening there, we can make a better judgement in a few days."

An update on Clarke's fitness and availability is expected to be provided later this week.

While cautious confidence exists about Clarke's ability to overcome his third hamstring injury in recent months, there is greater optimism about vice-captain and veteran wicketkeeper Brad Haddin's availability for the start of the Test series at the Gabba.

Haddin, who damaged his right shoulder diving for a catch in the recent Test series against Pakistan in the UAE which forced him out of the current Carlton Mid ODI Series against South Africa, is also expected to prove his fitness in that Shield game starting next Tuesday.

Should he show that his damaged joint is up to the rigours of long stints behind the stumps and Clarke is sidelined, the 37-year-old has indicated he is ready for the challenge of becoming Australia's 45th Test cricket captain – if recommended by the national selectors and ratified by the CA Board.

"It would be a truly great honour to be able to lead the team out, but it won't change my role too much," Haddin told Channel Nine today.

He then added, with tongue firmly in cheek: "Probably the only difference is all Michael's good ideas used to come from me, and all his bad ones were him.

"So I should be right from that point of view."

The other name to have gained significant currency since details of Clarke's latest injury setback emerged last Friday afternoon is 25-year-old batsman Steve Smith.

While Smith has yet to have the chance to showcase his captaincy credentials at international level, he has taken the reins for the Sydney Sixers in the KFC Big Bash League and led NSW to the title with an epic, unbeaten skipper's century in last summer's Shield Final in Canberra.

But he was mindful of his place in the pecking order when asked about his leadership aspirations by Channel Nine commentator and former Australian captain Mark Taylor last weekend

"Hopefully Pup (Clarke) comes up and he should be right for that first Test, and if not Brad Haddin's there and hopefully his shoulder comes good," Smith said.

"I guess if those two aren't there than they've got to make a decision, and if they decide that I'm the person in charge to lead that first Test then I would be comfortable doing it and hopefully I'd be able to do a good job of it as well.

"I think it's exciting, I've had a few experiences in captaining with New South Wales and the Sixers and I think I've done quite a good job with those.

"It is something that I enjoy doing and if I get the opportunity to do that one day it will be a dream come true."

Even David Warner has put up his hand to be considered for future leadership opportunities despite not having captained a first-class or international team during his career.

Warner was at long odds to be considered captaincy material after he was involved in an altercation with England batsman Joe Root at a night spot during last year's Ashes tour, but has claimed that his stellar form with the bat of the past 12 months should count for more than an historic indiscretion.

"Everyone has a past and a history and Ricky Ponting stuffed up once and Michael (Clarke) had his distractions here and there and look at the careers they've had," Warner said in an interview published in News Corp papers today.

"They've gone on to captain their country and average 50 plus.

"There's no reason why I couldn't do that but like I said I've got to keep scoring runs and do the best for the team and hopefully that changes the perception of who I am.

"I needed (to turn things around) to prolong my career.

"It would have stopped and it might have been the end of my career with all the stuff that happened in the past.

"In the back of your mind you always want to look to be a leader.

"Whether I end up getting a leadership role or not I feel I'm going to be a leader anyway."

The one name that seems to be conspicuously absent from the captaincy conversation to date is Shane Watson's, even though the former Test vice-captain was the man chosen to fill in for Clarke when he missed his one and only Test through injury – against India in Delhi last year.

Watson today confirmed that he would also be taking his place for NSW in next week's Shield game at the SCG in order to bolster his claims for a return to the Test line-up having missed the series in the UAE due to calf and ankle injuries.

But the all-rounder added his voice to those who feel quietly confident Clarke will be passed fit for the opening Test of the summer and added that his focus was currently securing a place in the Test set-up rather than pondering the prospect of leading it.

"I just need to be scoring runs over the next couple of weeks to give myself the best opportunity to be able to do that," Watson said tody of his chances to win a Test recall.

"I've talked to him (Clarke) about it and the diagnosis is, I think, better than what it was initially, which is a great thing.

"It's all very positive."