Ponting hoping ‘bruised’ Clarke fit to play in second ODI against Pak
By ANISaturday, January 23, 2010
MELBOURNE - Australia skipper Ricky Ponting wants his deputy Michael Clarke to play in second one-day international against Pakistan on Sunday, despite the vice-captain being hit on the ribs by a short ball in Friday’s opener .
Clarke hit 58 on Friday night at the Gabba, sharing a match-winning partnership of 102 for the fourth wicket with Cameron White (105) as Australia reached their target of 275 with nine deliveries to spare.
Clarke was hit on the ribs by a short ball from paceman Mohammad Aamer. He collapsed to the turf in agony before the team’s physio rushed onto the field, The Age reports.
“Michael has already flown back to Sydney. But as far as I know he should be fine. He was a bit sore last night,” a team spokesman said on Saturday.
Ponting said: “I think he’ll be OK. It looked pretty sore. I don’t know much more about it but he seemed OK in the rooms.”
Adam Voges and James Hopes are on standby in the 13-man squad to replace Clarke if the New South Wales batsman is ruled out.
“We’ve got 13 so we’ll just have to wait and see. And with someone like Hopes being in the squad, and even Voges, it gives us great flexibility because they can both bat and bowl,” Ponting said.
Ponting said the team was likely to be unchanged “if everybody is fit”.
“We’ll wait and see what it looks like down in Sydney but when you have a win like that it’s pretty rare you make changes,” he said. (ANI)
