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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP

February 20, 2015

Michael Clarke

BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND

Q. You've ticked off all the boxes and done everything right by the sounds of things, and then the weather. How anxious are you feeling about what's going to happen tomorrow? Do you think you'll play?
MICHAEL CLARKE: The forecast is obviously not great, and to be honest, I think our main focus right now as a team is on the people of Queensland. So as much as we'd like to get out on the field and continue our form we've had so far in the World Cup, I think we need to realize how bad this storm is, the Cyclone is. I think I care most about, like I say, the people of Queensland, and make sure everybody is healthy and safe and our prayers are with obviously a lot of people throughout the State and then we'll worry about the cricket tomorrow. If we get on we'll be a hundred percent prepared and ready. There is no doubt about it. We're still training this afternoon. But our major thoughts are with the people of Queensland.

Q. Going off on the willow, does that mean you haven't settled on a team as yet?
MICHAEL CLARKE: Well, we've selected a team, but I'm not going to announce it today because it could change if the format of the game changes. If it becomes a 40 Over game, a 20 Over game, whatever it is, I think that gives the selectors options if they would want to change a team. So I don't think it would be smart of me to announce that right now to be honest.

Q. Michael, comebacks and injuries are part and parcel of the game. But does it become tougher emotionally every time you make a comeback after one injury layoff?
MICHAEL CLARKE: Not to me, it doesn't. I think everybody's different, but this is the first time in my career I've had to have surgery. I've had needles all the way throughout my career, but I probably haven't missed as much cricket as I have over the last couple of months, missing the Australian summer. But I'll put a lot of faith in my preparation and the work that I've done over the last eight, eight-and-a-half weeks, and I'm really confident that I'm a hundred percent fit to walk out on that field and help the team have success.

Q. The Bangladesh team already own their first match, and they (Indiscernible) next match. What can you say about their strengths and their weaknesses?
MICHAEL CLARKE: Obviously they've got a lot of talent on their team, and I think they're obviously really happy with their performance the other day in their win against Afghanistan. Yeah, I actually watched that game. I guess I've said for a while now that every team has a lot of individual talent, and if you don't perform your best as a team, that individual can take a game away from you. I've been beaten by Bangladesh before. I've been beaten by Zimbabwe before. We know we have to come out if the game goes ahead tomorrow and be as well prepared as we can be. And our preparation has been exactly the same as it was in the lead-up against England, so we're certainly not taking them lightly. We know in these conditions as well, there is going to be a little moisture in the wicket obviously being under covers all day today. It's going to be a tough wicket to play on. So we have to be as well prepared as we can be, and we're going to have to play our best cricket to beat them.

Q. What is your assessment of the high expectations that Australia have? You're going so well. You're favorites to win. How do you as captains describe your expectations?
MICHAEL CLARKE: I feel the expectations are exactly the same as every time I've played for Australia. It's in our culture to try to win every game we can. Certainly as a team we respect the fact that the game is a lot harder than that. You don't just walk out on the field to have success. It takes a lot of work. I think we've done that over a long period in the One Day format, but it's a World Cup. So there is obviously extra pressure on every team. There are expectations, obviously because we're playing at home. I guess that on Australia and also New Zealand. But, yeah, I think you feel that pressure anyway being Australian. I think the Australian Cricket Team since I've supported the great game of cricket, has obviously been a successful team and a team that wants to win. It's no different now. We want to have success, but we know it's going to be a tough challenge. So we can just focus on making sure we're as well prepared as we can be against our opposition in the conditions we're playing in, give ourselves the best chance to have success.

Q. Would it be beneficial given the pocket of the game?
MICHAEL CLARKE: Not at all. I'd love to play. I'm ready to play.

Q. (Indiscernible).
MICHAEL CLARKE: I've always supported Warner. He's been a big supporter of mine and a good friend. I think Shane might have been taken out of context with what he said the other day. I've obviously spoken to him since then. I think what he was trying to say is the medical staff have pushed me to the limit, which is a great thing. As I said in my column today, it makes me have the confidence that I can walk out on to the ground and whatever is required to do, I'm capable of doing it because I've been able to do it at training. Alex Contreras made it very clear to me from the first day out of surgery that in our rehab we're going to push as hard as we possibly can at training to make sure that whatever you have to do come game day you've done it. You've experienced it and your body has been through it and you can handle it. So I think, yeah, I think Warner was trying to say that. I think the fact that I have been pushed from day one out of surgery up until yesterday as hard as I possibly can be. I've passed every test that's been thrown at me. And I feel I'm as fit and strong as I've been in a long time. Again, that doesn't guarantee you don't get injured. Especially in this sport when you're pushing your body a hundred miles an hour. But I think by the work that I've been put through through the Australian medical staff, I think that gives me my best chance of being able to cope with playing for Australia for a lot longer.

Q. Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson seem pretty locked in, obviously, to pace men. There's a bit of talk this morning that Pat Cummins could be in line for a game. Is that third sort of fast bowling spot up for grabs? Or does Josh have first claim on that for the big games to come?
MICHAEL CLARKE: Yeah, that's probably a question for the selectors, to be honest. I think you have to pick your best 11 for the opposition, and the conditions you're playing. So that doesn't necessarily mean one bowler is better than the other. I speak a lot about an attack, trying to pick your best attack. Again, for the opposition you're playing against. So conditions normally play a big part in the 11 that get selected. I've got faith in the selectors that they'll pick what they feel is the best 11 and it will be the right 11 to help us win tomorrow against Bangladesh.

Q. You mentioned the Bangladesh game of '05, you mentioned the game of last year. From your perspective, was there a common theme that linked those two? Obviously, Cardiff was a special element. But was it preparation taking them too lightly? Not adjusting to conditions, was it all of the above?
MICHAEL CLARKE: It's probably a number of things. I think probably attitude sums it up. I think it's a good example that you can't take any team lightly. Cricket is a tough game. I think as a batsman you see that regularly that you find yourself getting out to a delivery or a shot that is a lapse in concentration more than an absolute pillar of delivery. I think if you've got the right attitude, you give yourself the best chance. And like I say, there is enough individual talent in all the teams playing in this World Cup that if somebody has their day in the sun, it's really hard to stop them, and that's what makes this tournament so special, especially once you get to the knockout stages. You've got to somehow find a way to stop that individual brilliance from your opposition, otherwise you can be knocked out of the tournament.

Q. In a practical sense, how do you prepare for tomorrow? You obviously get up and assume that you're going to be playing at 1:30, but that could be pushed back, and I imagine that's going to be quite the mental challenge and a leadership challenge to kind of keep the guys focused and concentrating for whatever, if the game starts.
MICHAEL CLARKE: Yeah, I spoke to the boys briefly about that yesterday in our team meeting. The fact that I've seen it a number of times in my career when you look outside the window, especially in Brisbane and it looks like you're not going to play. I think we've seen that in the Ashes the first test against England as well. Then an hour later you're on the field, and I think that's credit to obviously the people that look after the ground here. But the drainage facility is as good as anywhere in the world, so my mindset and our team's mindset is to make sure we're as well prepared as we can be. So training today is important, and then tomorrow our mind is that the game's going to go ahead. If it gets delayed, then so be it. But up until we're told that the game's off, we're expecting to play, whether that's a 50 Over game or 20 Twenty, it doesn't bother us. We are and will be as well prepared as we can be. Like I say, the ground here as is as good as anywhere in the world. So if the groundsmen can find a way to make the game happen, I know they'll be trying their best. Hopefully we can. For the Australian team it's really important to have this chance to play in front of the Brisbane crowd. I think we're always supported well around Australia. Brisbane's a special place. People always come out and support us and cheer us on, and we'd love to play some really good entertaining cricket for them.

Q. Michael, you've played a hell of a lot of cricket against England, India, South Africa in recent times, and you played Bangladesh in your first series as captain. And New Zealand apart from a washout game in the Champion's Trophy was even further back. Would you like to play them a bit more often to have a bit more working knowledge of them?
MICHAEL CLARKE: The schedule is the schedule. I don't think my opinion's going to change it anyway. And I think I've been in trouble enough, so I'm going to keep my opinions to myself. At the end of the day, you try and whatever opposition you play, you're trying to win. You're trying to build momentum. I think our form in One Day cricket over a long period of time has been pretty consistent. I think that's a real positive for this team. We take a lot of confidence from that. But this tournament's different. This tournament is special. I think the public and the media have built the World Cup up how it should be built up. I think it is a special occasion. A lot of times in big tournaments it's more the mental side of the game than actually your skills out on the field that sometimes can get in the way. So, yeah, it doesn't really matter who you play against. You know you have to be at your best. You know mentally you have to find a way to get up. Yeah, I think conditions like this make it tougher because you question are you going to play a full game? Do I have to change my game? Is the team going to stay what we planned for it to be? There are things that can change along the way, but you can just prepare as well as you can and give yourself the best chance. We know the Bangladesh team really well. We've studied it and looked at them yesterday, a lot of footage yesterday. I watched their first game of the tournament. I was lucky enough to play against them with the CA-11. We know they've got a lot of talent and we'll have to execute our skills really well to beat them.
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