Clarke ready to play under Smith if asked by selectors

Australia Test and ODI captain Michael Clarke is fighting a race against time to prove his fitness ahead of the team's second ICC World Cup Pool A tie against Bangladesh on February 21. While Clarke has been putting in the hard yards, the 25-year-old Steven Smith has won many accolades by scoring match-winning centuries on his Test and ODI captaincy debuts. Smith's success and Clarke's struggles with back and hamstring injuries have given rise to a debate in Australia as to whether Smith should be given the captaincy for good.

Clarke has broken his silence on the matter and has said he has no issues playing under Smith, if asked by the Cricket Australia selectors. "Most definitely I would [whether he is fine playing under Smith]," Clarke told Triple M radio on Monday.

The 33-year-old also said he could relate to Smith as he faced a similar situation with Ricky Ponting in 2011. "I feel for Smitty, because I sat in his shoes when a lot of the media were trying to call for Ricky Ponting to retire. It's certainly not personal between Smitty and I, we've been friends for a long time and will continue to be. The people that sit above both him and I will make their decisions," he said.

"Whatever they [the selectors] feel is the best 11 players, they'll pick that 11. Whoever they feel is the best captain for the team, then they'll pick that. If my time is over as a player - or as a captain - then, you know, the game moves on. I still think I have a lot to offer the team, I still feel like I can perform and help us have success, but that's out of my hands. The most important thing for me is to get fit and healthy."

In his bid to get back to full fitness, Clarke scored 51 for Western Suburbs in Sydney Grade Cricket on Saturday and showed no signs of discomfort during his innings. It was the first competitive match for Clarke since the first Test against India at Adelaide in December where he scored a match-winning century. Last week, Clarke also dismissed reports of a dispute with Cricket Australia pertaining to a fitness deadline.

© Cricbuzz (with inputs from agencies)