Clarke no certainty for Boxing Day

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Race against time ... Clarke has three days to prove his fitness for the Boxing Day Test. Source: Phil Hillyard / News Limited

Australia Chairman of selectors John Inverarity has declared Michael Clarke just a "50-50 chance" of being fit for the Boxing Day Test as the skipper hit the MCG in a bid to prove his fitness.

Australia captain Michael Clarke is no certainty to play in the Boxing Day Test, with chairman of selectors John Inverarity rating him just a "50-50 chance" of being fit.

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Clarke, who suffered a hamstring strain during the dramatic first Test win over Sri Lanka in Hobart last weekend, only trained for the first time on Sunday in a bid to prove his fitness.

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Just three days out from the big match, Clarke trained separately from the main group, giving his hamstring a short workout with some light running before engaging in conversation with Inverarity.

Usman Khawaja is on stand-by should Clarke be ruled out, but with the skipper clearly Australia's most in-form batsman; the side's new-look top order will need to step up if their captain is absent.

"Look, he's travelling optimistically and well, but he's 50-50 as to whether he'll be fit enough to play on Boxing Day," Inverarity said.

Inverarity and vice-captain Shane Watson both expect the world's No.1-ranked batsman to do everything possible to prove his fitness over the next couple of days.

"He's a very precious asset and I would go low risk," Inverarity said.

"He's always upbeat, he desperately wants to play, but we certainly don't want to push him especially hard in a Test and for him to break down."

Watson said if Clarke isn't fit, he will be ready to take on the captaincy, although he isn't thinking about it just yet.

The all-rounder has never led Australia in a Test, although he did the job with some distinction in the limited-overs series in the West Indies earlier in the year.

"It's just about as big as it gets for an Australian cricketer," said Watson of the prospect of leading Australia in a Boxing Day Test.

"There's no doubt if that opportunity arises it certainly will be like it was when I had the opportunity to be captain in the one-dayers; it's an amazing opportunity to think that something like that has come along in your life.

"But as I said, I'm trying not to get too far in front of myself at the moment.

"In the end I know Michael will be doing everything he possibly can to be able to get right for this Test match and everyone's got their fingers crossed that he'll be right but if the opportunity does arise then I'll re-focus then."

Watson said recently-retired former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting had taught him a lot about leadership and captaincy with Watson ready to trust his instincts if he is called on to lead the team.

"Ricky has always been an amazing influence on my career and there's no doubt he's taught me a lot of very good lessons about the game of cricket, but also leadership as well," Watson said.

"There's no doubt a lot of those things he's always talked to me about, when I did lead the team last summer, about just not thinking about things too much and just letting your gut instinct make the decisions for you.

"I'll make sure I'm nice and planned if that opportunity does come around but as I said, Ricky Ponting has given me a lot of very good advice in the past so I'm sure that will come out if the opportunity arises."

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