Clarke sets sights on sealing Test berth

Michael Clarke expects a fight to hold his Test place in the middle order after failing to seal a spot during his recall for the Bangladesh series in April. Clarke enjoyed a month off after the tour and a "road trip" with Andrew Symonds, who is a candidate for his mate's position during the Ashes, but he has been back in solid training for eight weeks to prepare for the Champions Trophy and beyond.

"There's going to be a few tough selection decisions coming up, so hopefully I can score some runs and get a chance [for the Ashes]," Clarke said at Allan Border Field, where he was Glenn McGrath's practice partner. The form of Phil Jaques - he has already posted double-centuries for Worcestershire and Australia A during the off-season - is also putting pressure on Australia's batting ranks, which include the re-born Damien Martyn, who picked up a match-turning century in the final Test in South Africa.

Clarke said positions in the middle order would be closely fought and he hoped to make a mark during October's Champions Trophy, a prize Australia have never won. "Everyone is fighting to play for their country," he said. "At the moment the batting is pretty strong but runs on the board will help."

After being dropped during the West Indies series last summer, Clarke returned to Test action in Bangladesh but was unable to create a lasting impression with scores of 19, 9 and 23 not out. However, he has been a fine performer in the one-day team and the extra limited-overs duties restricted his first-class action in 2005-06.

"In reality I didn't get to play too much four-day or Test cricket," he said. "I played two four-day games all year [making 201 not out against Queensland and 178 against South Australia] and then two Tests in Bangladesh. I need to continue to make the most of my opportunity in one-day cricket."