Michael Clarke is resigned to embarking on his mission to retain the Ashes on British soil without Ryan Harris, the bowler he has so often turned to in the key moments of his tenure as Australia captain.
Harris’s immediate future remains unclear, but the fact that he and team doctor Peter Brukner travelled from Chelmsford to London during day three of the current tour match against Essex indicates the early assessment of the soreness in his right knee is not promising.
A further update is expected on Harris’s condition tomorrow morning UK time, but regardless of whether he is cleared of further damage to the troublesome joint or receives the bad news that his tour has prematurely ended, Clarke has accepted he won’t be leading the attack in Cardiff next week.
“I think he’s struggling,” Clarke conceded when asked about the likelihood of Harris being considered for the opening Test that begins in the Welsh capital on Wednesday.
“Without him playing this tour game (against Essex) I don’t think he’s got enough match practice under his belt to warrant playing that first Test.
“I think he would probably say that.
“We’ll find out more tomorrow where he sits, but my goal is to give Ryno every opportunity.
“He’s been an unbelievable weapon for me as captain of Australia and I want to see him fit and healthy.
“He’s done an amazing job every time he plays for Australia, I’ve said before how much I love having him in the team and I’d love to see him get right and play a part.
“What Test match (of the upcoming series), who knows?”
The removal of Harris from calculations for Cardiff removes one potential selection conundrum, but Clarke admits there is still significant cause for debate among selection panel chair Rod Marsh and his fellow panel members, coach Darren Lehmann, Trevor Hohns and Mark Waugh.
Principal among them will be which of the competing all-rounders they believe is the best option on a Cardiff pitch that Clarke believes will be dry given the heatwave conditions that have settled across southern Britain this week and, by reputation, will accommodate spin.
The steady, reliable presence provided by Shane Watson is being challenged by the explosive, mercurial Mitchell Marsh who complemented the consecutive centuries he made in Canterbury and Chelmsford with two quick wickets as Australia cleaned up the Essex tail this morning.
Watson did not bowl on day three of the tour match which Australia leads by 360 with two second innings wickets to fall, though Clarke maintained that was simply because – with Mitchell Starc running through the tail and six specialist bowlers to choose from – he wasn’t required.
“I think it’s going to be really tough,” Clarke said of the decision to pick the preferred all-rounder.
“Obviously the all-rounder spot is a tough one.
“Mitch Marsh is a young player, and he’s extremely talented as we’ve seen.
“What I’m most proud of him for is for grabbing his opportunity, to score runs and take wickets and fight to be on the selectors’ minds.
“Mitch has worked extremely hard up at the NCC (Bupa National Cricket Centre) before he went to the West Indies,
“He’s lost weight, he’s fit, he’s strong and he’s playing some really good cricket.
“I think Watto batted beautifully in the first innings here and in the tour game against Kent and we saw yesterday how important his consistency is with the ball.
“They both have unbelievable strengths.
“Who knows? Maybe the selectors will find a way of getting them both in.”
Clarke also confirmed that the battle for the opening berth will be tight with Chris Rogers having made a start in each of the four innings he’s played on tour, and Shaun Marsh – who stood in as opener in the Caribbean when Rogers was sidelined with concussion – made a classy century in Canterbury.
But one player who is guaranteed selection given the conditions in Cardiff and the absence of direct competition for his place is spinner Nathan Lyon, who Clarke claimed was impressive in his first competitive outing for the tour despite returning 0-136 from 22 overs.
“I thought he bowled pretty well yesterday (Thursday),” Clarke said despite his spinner finishing without a wicket.
“It’s the way the (Chelmsford) wicket is more than anything else.
“There wasn’t much spin in the first (innings), but I think you’ll see a different bowler in the second innings.
“It’ll spin a lot more, there’s a bit more inconsistent bounce, I think Lyno will be a lot harder to face in the second innings.
“He understands it (conceding runs) is part and parcel of playing over here where you’ve got really fast outfields.
“This preparation has been outstanding.
“It’s been nice for guys to perform individually. and to fight for places in the (Test) eleven.
“We won in Kent and that’s our goal here as well.
“I think that’s the most important thing for me, as much as I want guys to perform individually I’d love us to win these two games leading up to the first Test.”