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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUPMarch 3, 2015Michael ClarkePERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Q. Might there be an issue for tomorrow? MICHAEL CLARKE: No, I think Smitty's fine. Smitty got hit on the hand facing a spinner, and he is back in the nets batting now, so I think he's fine. Q. And Pat Cummins (Indiscernible)? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think at this stage, Pat's unavailable for selection for tomorrow's game. Yeah, I don't think those two are the reasons. I think he's looking to say everyone pulls up after a pretty tough training session. Q. Afghanistan being an odd team and you're not familiar, have you done a study on them and looked at some of the players? MICHAEL CLARKE: We have our team meeting this afternoon at 5:30, and like every other team, we'll two through all the individual players, have a look at their strengths and the areas we think we can attack. But I've obviously watched them play throughout this World Cup. I think they've performed really well. I think a few of their individuals in particular have really stood up and performed well. I think the wicket looks fantastic out there, so there might be a bit of pace out there as well for their opening bowlers who have done a very good job throughout this tournament. So yeah, we'll certainly study our opposition this afternoon. Q. (Indiscernible) in the context of the World Cup where you wanted to finish in the group today? MICHAEL CLARKE: I can't say we've looked too far past tomorrow to be honest. We've been pretty focused over the last couple of days like I said after the opening game, recovering first and foremost, and then training with really good discipline in the areas individually that we really need to focus on to be able to perform tomorrow. Yeah, Booth made it pretty clear to us today that he wants us to stay focused on what's right in front of us this game, and we'll worry about Sunday after tomorrow's game. Q. Can you share with us what kind of inputs he had? MICHAEL CLARKE: I was asking him if his son was going to go back to school today or if he was going to take him to the beach. So not too much input in regards to the team's performance. Now look, I obviously know Gilly very well. He's a great man and he brought his son's cricket team down today, so they got half a day off school, so the kids were pretty happy. Q. (Indiscernible) would you say that match was a wake-up call? MICHAEL CLARKE: I'll say, no, I don't think so. I think we got beaten by a very good team. Obviously, it's always tough to beat New Zealand in their own backward. It's always tough to compete against New Zealand no matter where they play, and they're playing really good cricket at the moment. Yeah, we got beaten by a better team on the day. That's the game, isn't it? You'd love to win every game you play, but that's not the way it goes. It's about learning from your losses. Really assessing, like I said, individually and as a team where we can get better, and I think we've done that really well. I think the boys have trained exceptionally well yesterday and today on pretty tough wickets out of the back there. Q. Have you pulled up from the first (Indiscernible) how do you feel now? MICHAEL CLARKE: I feel really good, thank you. It was a long flight, so the last two days have been really important recovery-wise to make sure, like everyone, we're doing everything we can to be a hundred percent fit for tomorrow. Fortunately, I was able to have a really good training session yesterday as well. I think that was good for my body, and I feel great today. So plenty of recovery again this afternoon, and look forward to getting back out there tomorrow. Q. How difficult is it to come across on a 7-hour flight and play again tomorrow and back up to Sydney for a long flight? How difficult is it to manage yourself in terms of recovery as well? MICHAEL CLARKE: I've got no idea. I've never done it before, so I'm about to find out. Obviously, 7-and-a-half-hour flight, yeah, it takes some time to recover from that. But I think with the boys have certainly done that full recovery, rehab, individual recovery as well as guys getting what they need. We've got a lot of resources as well. We've got so much stuff. There are massage therapists, physio doctor, strength and conditioning, whatever you need, it's there. We're staying in a magnificent hotel too. They've got great facilities, gym, pool. We're very lucky. I think all the guys have trained really well today, so that's probably the best sign that we'll be able to walk out and train at full intensity today. It shows the boys have recovered well and are ready for tomorrow. Q. Any worries about the last game? MICHAEL CLARKE: No. Q. Would we see any replacements with your seven players? MICHAEL CLARKE: I have no idea. The selectors will tell me hopefully this afternoon or tomorrow morning what the team is, but, no, I have no worries about that middle order. I'm confident we can turn things around quickly. Q. Do you believe in rhythm because Australia's played a very good first match and second match, and third match was totally different. Do you believe in rhythm? MICHAEL CLARKE: I believe in confidence, and I think we've been playing some really good One Day cricket over the past 12 months to two years. I think the boys did a fantastic job in the Tri-Series, so I think our players are full of confidence, and I think that's how you play your best cricket. If you're confident, you back your own ability, and you walk out and have the freedom to enjoy the brand of cricket you play. I think that's what we'll continue to do. Like I said, we'd love to win every game we play, but I don't think that's realistic in the game of cricket. So we certainly respect and appreciate how good a team New Zealand are, and they beat us the other day. It's up to us to turn things around and come out and perform really good tomorrow. Q. In the game you said you hadn't trained the way that might be beneficial. Have changed the way you trained for this match? MICHAEL CLARKE: We've trained really well in preparation for this game. You guys will get no headlines out of me. Q. Did you play much professional cricket? Was it something that you thought of? MICHAEL CLARKE: Right now I'm focused on the World Cup. Q. Have they spoken to you? MICHAEL CLARKE: I've spoken to a number of people, but like I said, my goal is to help this team have success at the World Cup. That's all I'm focused on. I haven't signed a deal with any BBL team. I'm focused on the World Cup. Q. Australia has had to deal with elements against Bangladesh and injuries. You're also on the same page and focused on the rest of the World Cup and where you're at? MICHAEL CLARKE: I don't understand the question. Sorry. Go again. Q. There have been a few things that have been disruptive, I guess, for you guys. Whether it be elements, form, injury. How do you assess the World Cup so far? MICHAEL CLARKE: I don't think there have been any distractions. I think It's been written as a lot of distractions, but as a team we're extremely focused and nothing has changed. Our goal is being consistent for the last certainly couple of years. Our plans were put in place a long time ago in regards to building up for this tournament and we're still extremely excited. We're obviously disappointed we didn't have success in our last game against New Zealand, but our goal is still very clear. Yeah, you couldn't ask for a team that works as hard as this group does. If we keep doing that, we'll see rewards later on in this tournament. Q. Just with in the past there are longer flights to Perth and you've had some issues once you've touched down. Is there anything you do differently now that you've learned from the past? MICHAEL CLARKE: I don't think there is any proof that I've had injuries from flying. I think I tried it. I can't remember. Was it Zimbabwe? Was it one of the overseas tours that I might have traveled a couple of days early? Was that Zimbabwe? UAE, I think. No, I traveled, yeah, throughout the One Days but I wasn't playing in the One Day team. So I flew five or six days early with the test team. Yeah, I don't think there's -- I think recovery has always been an important part of my cricket. I've had a back injury since I was 17 years of age, so my treatment and my preparation and my training hasn't changed since then and won't change until the end of my career. We just continue to learn from other people and take their expertise and experience in regards to people that have had chronic back injuries and see if it helps me. But like I say, I feel as fit and as healthy as I've felt in at least five years, so that's a real positive sign. I've just got to keep my maintenance up, keep listening to the medical staff and doing as they ask, because I feel like it's helping me at the moment, that's for sure. Q. Just (Indiscernible) back to be available and hopefully Pat Cummins. By the end of this week will it be important to be pretty much on an 11 or if you have it by then will it be important (Indiscernible)? MICHAEL CLARKE: I don't think you can do anything about injuries. I think the most important part is we were settled on a squad and the selectors have been settled on that for a while. I think it takes the whole 15 to have success in a World Cup. Injuries come and go throughout the whole tournament. You play in different conditions as well. One Day you play in New Zealand and next day you're playing in Perth, so I think the selectors did that really well. They assess the opposition we're playing and the conditions we're playing in and select the best 11 for that, so I think you need everybody on the team to be ready to go. I don't think it makes any difference if you change the 11 as long as the 15 players are working extremely hard and waiting for their opportunity. Q. Australia's had a presence, and we all know the news stories or whatever. Does this game do you think have more significance than a normal game because of what Australia's trying to do? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think it's great for Afghanistan to have this opportunity and for a lot of the nations to have the opportunity to be part of the World Cup. I think it's exciting. I spoke to a few of the boys yesterday, and they're really excited to play against Australia. So I'm not going to get into the politics of Australia and Afghanistan. I think it's wonderful for the game of cricket. I think it's great for the World Cup to see Afghanistan here and doing really well. I think they've shown the world on this stage that they've got a really good team and they can perform at this level against the best. I think that's great for the game. I've always been a believer in the more countries that we can get involved in the game of cricket, the better. The more boys and girls playing all around the world, the better for cricket. I've never really cared what format. I just think if we can have kids playing this great game of cricket, I think the game can change a lot. I think it has for me. It's given me a wonderful opportunity to see so many parts of the world and meet so many great friends. I'd love for every little boy and every little girl to have the same opportunities that I've had. Q. Just to follow an update, do you ever view potential limitations to the next World Cup down to only ten teams? MICHAEL CLARKE: I haven't thought about it. I'm focused on this one at the moment. Ask me that question in two years time. Q. Would you do anything different (Indiscernible)? MICHAEL CLARKE: Same as I've done the last 12 years. Try to sleep when I can. Watch a movie when I can. Get up and walk when I'm sick of watching movies. Eat as much food as possible. Don't drink alcohol. Q. (Indiscernible)? MICHAEL CLARKE: Hopefully all of the above. Yeah, there is nothing in particular. Yeah, we haven't gotten the massage tables on the flight at this stage, so as good as Qantas are. But, yeah, I just try to do the same things I've done my whole career. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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