Clarke ready to test hip

Michael Clarke has joined the growing list of players willing to battle through the pain barrier at the World Cup. He was forced to miss the Chappell-Hadlee series with a hip problem and admits he still hasn't fully tested the injury.

"I've had a couple of batting sessions and I haven't been getting anywhere near as much pain, I should say," Clarke told The Australian. "So I'm feeling good. Fingers crossed. But I haven't done too much running, so I'll have to do a bit of running over the next couple of days and see how it pulls up. But I'm pretty confident it's going to be fine."

Clarke is slated to bat at the vital No. 4 position and his importance to the line-up grows with the concerns surrounding Matthew Hayden (toe) and Andrew Symonds (bicep). His form varied during the Commonwealth Bank series, but he has fond memories of the Caribbean.

Clarke made 170 runs at 85 during the one-day series in the West Indies in 2003 and knows there is no bigger arena than the World Cup. "It's the No.1 stage for one-day cricket," he said. "That gives every individual an opportunity to step up on such a big stage.

"Hopefully I'll get the chance to stay batting at No. 4 and there'll be plenty of opportunity, I would imagine, to get out there and score some runs. So I'll be working my backside off over the next couple of weeks to make sure I'm ready to go for the first game."

Clarke's left-arm spin will also prove useful to the Australians, who struggled to find a reliable fifth and sixth bowler in New Zealand. He will expect to take some of Andrew Symonds' overs while the allrounder is recovering from his arm injury.

In 101 ODIs Clarke has taken 30 wickets at 36 with an impressive best of 5 for 35 against Sri Lanka at Dambulla. Australia's first warm-up match is against Zimbabwe on March 6 before they face England on March 9 in the lead-up to their opening group match, against Scotland, on March 14.