Clarke ruled out of series, Johnson to rest after second ODI

Bailey to captain the side against South Africa

MELBOURNE: Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson may be rested after the second ODI against South Africa to keep him fresh for the Test series against India and next year's World Cup.

Johnson celebrated his ICC Cricketer of the Year award by removing both of South Africa's openers in the first ODI in Perth on Friday as Australia claimed a 32-run win.

“It's looking that way at the moment," said Johnson when asked if he might stay in his home-town Perth after the second ODI on Sunday at the WACA. "I'm 33 now and played a lot of games for my country, which has been a great honour. With what we've got coming up, it's a lot of cricket so for me to be at my best and bowling fast, I need to be as fresh as possible.”

Johnson's absence would open the door for a variety of pacemen, including 23-year-old South Australian Kane Richardson, who bowled throughout Australia's 3-0 ODI whitewash of Pakistan but was omitted for Perth in favour of seamers Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Bailey to stand in for captain Clarke

George Bailey will captain Australia as regular skipper Michael Clarke has been ruled out for the rest of the series. Clarke aggravated his problematic left hamstring in the first ODI and will consult with specialists after having scans on Saturday.

The 33-year-old's injury sidelined him for the entire ODI series against Pakistan and almost the entire preceding ODI tournament against South Africa and hosts Zimbabwe. The recurrence of the injury has stoked fears Australia could head into a four-Test series against India without their top batsman and captain, while another breakdown may also signal the end of Clarke’s World Cup ambitions.

Australia coach Darren Lehmann had confirmed that Clarke will be replaced by middle order batsman Steven Smith.

 

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.