Clarke tries new training regime ahead of UAE

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Australia captain Michael Clarke has been ruled out of the ODI series against Pakistan, but says he is working hard to be ready for the Tests, and has changed his fitness regime accordingly.

Clarke will go to the UAE with plenty of time to spare in order to acclimatise, and give his problematic lower back a chance to recover from the flight. He feels the changes he’s made to his work out will benefit him in this regard.

Clarke said on cricket.com.au: “There’s probably six or seven things we’ve discussed and it will take some time to work out if they work, don’t work or if they’re a waste of time.

“It’s going to take some time to work out what’s perfect for me but we believe getting there (the UAE) a couple of days before everybody else and allowing my body to acclimatise and recover after a long plane flight is a good start.

“So I’m flying over on the 30th to give myself every opportunity to be fit and if I thought I wasn’t going to be fit (for the first Test) I wouldn’t even get on that plane.

“In overall terms, I feel as fit and as healthy as I’ve ever felt and I’m only 33 so I feel I’ve got a lot of cricket left in my body.”

He again insisted he was not ready to walk away from ODI cricket either, saying he was able to balance the demands placed on his body for now, and would keep going in the format once he recovered fully.

He said: “I know there’s been some talk about whether I should walk away from one-day cricket or how long I can play for, but I’ve had my back issues since I was 17 and I’ve managed to miss only one Test match out of 105 through my career.

“I’ve also missed a few one-dayers but touch wood, to date I haven’t missed any major tournaments. It’s all part of playing sport at the highest level.

“You’re going to get injured and it’s about making sure you do the work to get back on the park, and while I’ve still got that drive to do that work and the love of the game I’ve got, I see no reason to consider walking away.

“You get a little kick in the guts, but you’ve got to get up and go again. It’s not going to be the last injury I have.”

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