Australian batsman George Bailey has claimed that Australia is neither Michael Clarke's team nor his, insisting that it is their team at the moment.
Australian batsman George Bailey has claimed that Australia is neither Michael Clarke's team nor his, insisting that it is their team at the moment.
Vice-captain Bailey is leading the Australian squad in the Carlton Mid tri-series against India and England, as Clarke is in a battle to regain fitness for the Cricket World Cup.
Bailey could be on a hiding to nothing by being handed the captaincy reins in Clarke's absence for the tournament opener on February 14, because if the full-time skipper passes his fitness deadline the following week, the stand-in skipper could find himself excluded from the first-choice XI altogether, News.com.au reported.
Since Bailey made his debut as skipper on the 11th of January 2013, he's captained Australia on 26 occasions compared to Clarke's 18 appearances as captain.
However, despite the amount of time he's spent in the big chair, Bailey has always felt like he's warming it for an injured or rested Clarke. But he doesn't believe that he has been handed a thankless job and is comfortable that no man is more important than the squad itself.
Bailey said that he doesn't think its Clarke's team or his team, adding that he believes its their team at the moment. He said that to Clarke's credit, when the skipper hasn't played, he's certainly allowed it to be his team.
Bailey claimed that a lot of the tours where it's happened overseas and Clarke's still been there, it's probably difficult for him to step back, but added that the fact that he has, that's really helped him.
Moreover, Bailey has also admitted that he needs runs. After a landmark campaign in India in 2013 where he averaged 95.6, Bailey has averaged 36, 25, 15, 25 in his most recent ODI series and so far in this tri-series against India and England he has made scores of 5 and 10.
Bailey said that if he is not scoring runs and they pick Clarke, that's fine, adding that that's the nature of the game. He said that it is a really basic equation, one scoring runs or not scoring runs, one gets picked or they don't.
Bailey said that if Clarke is there, one of the batsmen makes way, adding that if it's him or someone else, that's how it is. He insisted that he is extremely comfortable.
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