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Australian batsman Michael Clarke has been ordered to return home from his team’s short tour of New Zealand because of a hip problem.

Clarke, who was originally selected as vice-captain for the three-match tour, missed Friday’s series opener in Wellington after feeling pain in his hip the previous day.

Australia’s physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said Clarke would not recover in time to play in the remaining two matches and had been sent home as a precaution to ensure he was available for the World Cup, starting in the West Indies next month.

“Michael is still suffering some hip soreness in certain movements and has not progressed to the point where he is able to play a part in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy,” Kountouris said in a statement.

“As such, he will return to Sydney on Saturday (today) to allow sufficient time to recover and is expected to be fully fit in time for the beginning of the 2007 International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup,” he added.

Phil Jaques had already been called into the squad as a replacement for Clarke, one of four Australian World Cup players under an injury cloud.
Source:The News

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