Skip to content

Australia captain Michael Clarke going home from Zimbabwe with hamstring injury

Image: Michael Clarke: Hamstring injury a serious issue for Australia captain

Michael Clarke is returning to Australia after his hamstring problem flared up in Sunday's one-day defeat by Zimbabwe.

The Australia captain will head to Sydney in order to have the problem assessed and it is likely his captaincy duties will be handed on to George Bailey, who took charge in their opening two matches of the series in Clarke's absence.

Australian team physiotherapist David Beakley said: "Michael...will not be able to take any further part in the tri-series.

"Michael will return to Sydney on Tuesday to undergo scans and further assessment to determine the full extent of the injury."

Clarke missed his side's matches against Zimbabwe and South Africa due to the problem and, playing in his first professional match since March, aggravated it while batting on Sunday.

He was forced to retire hurt on 68 and although he re-emerged for the closing stages of his side's innings, the injury is clearly a worry for Australia with the World Cup on home soil only a few months away.

Latest Cricket Stories

The injury compounded a bad day for Clarke's team who fell to a first defeat by Zimbabwe in 31 years, going down by three wickets in Harare.

Around Sky