19 Dec 2012

Clarke confident of fitness for Boxing Day test

12:19 pm on 19 December 2012

The Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke is confident he'll be fit to lead his side against Sri Lanka in the second test starting on Boxing Day in Melbourne.

Clarke injured a hamstring during the opening test in Hobart, but he was able to field in the slips on the final day and he took a low diving catch.

Australia have named a 13-man squad for the Melbourne test which includes the uncapped Tasmania pace bowler Jackson Bird, and the former test batsman Usman Khawaja has been named as a standby player for Clarke, who recently became the world's top-ranked batsman in test cricket.