Image Courtesy: Cricket Australia
Clarke suffered a hamstring injury, due to which he was sidelined for the tri-series, and returned home. The Aussie, who is also troubled by a back issue, is expected to be fit for the forthcoming ODI and Test series against Pakistan in UAE.
“I love the game as much as I always have,” Clarke said. “The last thing I am thinking about is retiring.”
Clarke made a one-off appearance in the series against Zimbabwe and scored 68 runs. The match aggregated the injury but the Aussie captain insisted that he was right in testing himself in one of the games, after missing the first two matches.
“I spoke to the doctors and physio in Zimbabwe and I believe we made the right decision,” Clarke insisted. “I would have been really disappointed if I got on a plane straight away without seeing how I was going.”
“I did all the things in regards to leading up to the game so in my mind I was 100 per cent fit to perform. I felt fine,” he added. “I had two fitness tests four days and then two days before the game. So I ticked all the boxes.”
The Australian captain, however, is confident of putting his injury woes behind and return to the field soon.
“I think I have had a really good run in the last 12 to 18 months and my back’s been in really good shape,” Clarke said. “It’s obviously frustrating that I have been training for four months in preparation for getting onto the field and I played one game, or half a game, in Zimbabwe.”
“But I am really confident,” he added. “I feel as fit and healthy as I have been throughout my career. I’ve worked exceptionally hard over the last four months.”
