SYDNEY — Australian captain Michael Clarke is confident he will be fit for the second Test against Sri Lanka and started an intensive physio campaign Wednesday to overcome a hamstring strain. The world's leading Test batsman suffered the twinge in his team's 137-run win over the tourists in Hobart this week and he is racing the clock to recover in time for the next encounter in Melbourne from Dec. 26. “I know I'm in great hands with (team physio) Alex (Kountouris) and I know how great a physio he is,” said Clarke, who reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Test batsman rankings released Tuesday evening. Clarke, who entered the Hobart Test trailing Shivnarine Chanderpaul by just one ratings point, now leads the West Indian by nine points after knocks of 74 and 57. “Obviously my preparation will be a little bit different to the lead-up to this Test match but I've done a fair bit of batting throughout the summer so I'm confident,” he added. The prolific Clarke needs just 55 runs to equal Ricky Ponting's Australian record of 1,544 Test runs in a calendar year, set in 2005. The Melbourne Test is the last chance to overhaul his now retired former teammate. Clarke was included in the 12-man squad announced Tuesday with Usman Khawaja on standby. The Pakistan-born Khawaja played the last of his six Tests against New Zealand in Hobart a year ago. “I'm really confident that with seven, eight days' turnaround (the injury will heal),” added Clarke. “I'll be giving myself every opportunity, that's for sure.” The Australian bowling unit has also been ravaged by injury this year with Pat Cummins and James Pattinson already ruled out for the season and Josh Hazlewood, who was included in the squad for the last Test against South Africa, sidelined with a foot injury. Big task for NZ in South Africa The New Zealand Black Caps will be underdogs on their cricket tour of South Africa, with the first Twenty20 international against South Africa scheduled for Durban Friday. Hit by injuries and the unavailability of leading batsman and former captain Ross Taylor, New Zealand's best chance of matching their powerful hosts would appear to be in three Twenty20 internationals, which precede two Tests and three One-Day Internationals. Led by Brendon McCullum, one of the world's leading T20 batsmen, New Zealand will hope to match an experimental South African squad in the shortest form of the game. Their chances in the Tests would seem to be minimal against South Africa, which claimed the world No. 1 ranking by beating England in England earlier this year and then endorsed that status with an away win against Australia. New Zealand's hopes in the Tests are likely to depend on a handful of key players such as batsmen McCullum, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and fast bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult. — Agencies
