Australian test captain Michael Clarke once again sustained an injury that compelled him to retire hurt while he was on his way to slam 28th test ton in Adelaide at the first test of the ongoing India-Australia four test match series. The elegant batsman was unbeaten on 60 when a bouncer off Ishant Sharma forced him to play away from the body.
Mark Taylor is concerned about Michael Clarke’s injury
The skipper tried to sway and bow down on that delivery which unfortunately created some discomfort in his lower back. There was a sort of concern in the Australian dressing room when the captain couldn’t continue his inning and had to rush to the team doctor Peter Brukner for further treatment.
The year 2014 has been brilliant for the 33-year-old in test matches he maintained an astounding average of 103 in the 10 test matches that he played in this year. However, Clarke was in the news more for his injury than the runs he scored in recent times. He has sustained a lot of injuries in this year and most of them are related to his back-pain.
Cricket Australia (CA) has officially stated that Clarke has aggravated his pain in the lower back while playing in this test. Although it is expected that like a true team player the batsman may come to bat again tomorrow if the team needs him, but certainly his frequent injuries have raised few questions about his fitness especially when the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is round the corner. In fact the whole Australian squad is concerned about Clarke’s repeated injury and awaiting the captain’s full fitness.
Former Australian test skipper Mark Taylor opined that the nature of Clarke’s injury is such that it doesn’t seem too severe but since the batsman is experiencing similar pain again and again then it must require some attention. Australia is due to visit England for the Ashes series before the start of the World Cup and Clarke’s injury at this point of time is really a concerning one.
Taylor is hopeful of Michael Clarke’s quick recovery and expecting the classy batsman to be fully fit at the earliest. Taylor feels that Clarke would also be leaving no stone unturned to get back his cent percent fitness and for that matter, he is taking each training and exercise session very seriously.
Earlier Clarke played a rock solid knock of 60 runs in 115 minutes before succumbed to back pain that made him retired hurt. Clarke never looked uncomfortable while facing short pitch deliveries until a short pitch delivery outside the leg stump forced him to sway a little and injury struck him again.
Tags: Australia, CA, Cricket Australia, India, Ishant Sharma, Mark Taylor, Michael Clarke, Test Series
