Published: Sep 03, 2013, 12:07 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 03, 2013, 12:07 PM (IST)
Darren Lehmann (right) said that Australia would play their strongest eleven against Scotland and England and that included Michael Clarke being in the team © Getty Images
Sep 3, 2013
Australia coach Darren Lehmann said they have no plans to rest captain Michael Clarke during their One-Day International (ODI) series against Scotland and England.
Clarke has had a chronic back problem and has had to miss many of Australia’s ODI matches in the past. He missed the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 due to a flare-up of his back. Although he played all the five Ashes 2013 Test matches, there were some discomfort, especially in the early part of the series.
Lehmann said that they wanted to win every match and for that they will play their best possible eleven as well. “We won’t be resting him. If he’s fit he plays,” Lehmann said about Clarke as reported by Daily Telegraph. “It’s a simple fact of life and that’s what we want to do with all our players.”
“You want to get the best team on the park each and every day but, having said that, if he’s not 100 per cent fit then he won’t play.”
Australia will play an ODI against Scotland in Edinburgh on September 3. They then play a five-match ODI series against England starting from September 6. The last match is on September 16.
This is a slight contrast to England’s decision of resting five key players including captain Alastair Cook. The return Ashes in Australia was cited as the reason by England.
But Lehmann said that is not how they will go about the series, “Every time we’ll be picking our best team to win that game,” added Lehmann.
Australia had to send back Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc back home after they suffered minor injuries. Starc joins other Australian fast bowlers like Ryan Harris, James Pattinson, Jackson Bird and Pat Cummins in the injury list.
Lehmann said, “At the end of the day you have injuries. It’s part and parcel of being a fast bowler. Hopefully that settles down as they get a bit older and a bit stronger.”
Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade said that they will go into the match against Scotland without any complacency.
“We’ve got win as many games as we can. We haven’t had that much success on this tour, we want to win all these games,” said Wade.
Pete Steindl, who is the Scotland coach, said that his side were expecting a tough battle with Australia and that they welcomed the chance to play against a top-quality and gain valuable experience.
“The more times you can play against teams who are higher-ranked and better than you, it teaches you where you have to get to,” Steindl said.
