Michael Clarke: Not ready for international cricket yet

Michael Clarke bowled two overs and made 34 in a practice match against Bangladesh.

Playing for Cricket Australia XI, Michael Clarke bowled two overs and made 34 in a practice match against Bangladesh on Thursday but said he wasn't yet ready for international cricket.

The Australia Test and ODI captain hasn't played international cricket since suffering a hamstring injury in the first Test against India in Adelaide in December. Despite injury concerns, he was named in the 2015 ICC World Cup squad, on condition he proved his fitness ahead of team's second Pool A game against Bangladesh on February 21.Last week on his return to competitive cricket, Clarke scored 51 for Western Suburbs in Sydney Grade Cricket.

"The ideal world was to field for at least half the game I managed 32 overs which was nice," Clarke, who had been set a target of fielding a minimum of 25 overs by the Cricket Australia medical staff, told reporters after the Bangladesh game.

"The body feels good, I just got a bit more treatment now but I pulled up pretty well. I've been bowling for the past three weeks in the nets.

"The [CA XI] skipper [Ashton Turner] needed a couple of overs so he asked if I was happy to bowl and I was certainly happy to bowl a couple of overs there.

"Then to have a bat as well - it was another step forward.My opinion, I think there's probably still a gap between where I am now and playing a one-day international for Australia.

"The fortunate thing is I've got plenty of time to close that gap."

Australia play India in an official World Cup warm-up at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday and Clarke will join his team-mates on Friday. However, he ruled himself out of the game."At this stage I don't think I'm playing that match [against India]," Clarke said.

"The plan is for me to join the boys in Adelaide, fly with the boys to Melbourne then play the practice match against the UAE [at the MCG on Wednesday].

"They probably would have liked a hundred today, probably would have liked me to field for the whole 50 overs as well."