Gillespie fit to tour West Indies

Injury-plagued paceman Jason Gillespie has declared himself fit for Australia's tour of the West Indies after bowling for the first time since returning injured from the World Cup.

Gillespie bowled just 18 deliveries at the Adelaide Oval nets, but it was enough to convince the fast bowler he had overcome a torn tendon in his right foot which ended his World Cup campaign.

"Everything seemed to go well, it felt good and really positive," Gillespie said.

"Clinically my leg is fine now, the strength is getting back and just to have a bowl felt really good and I was more than happy with the result."

Gillespie said today's brief net session, his first bowl for almost four weeks, assured he would join the Australian squad on Monday for departure to the West Indies and the four-Test series starting April 10 in Guyana.

The South Australian has missed as much international cricket as he has played because of injury.

"Injuries are part and parcel of being a fast bowler," he said.

"You try to avoid them anyway you can by your preparation and getting yourself ready as best you can for games.

"If you do all that and you get injured there's not really much that you can do.

"I have changed a bit of my training methods to just try and adapt and put a bit less strain on the body and just try and get that strength there to get me through series and games.

"A few years back when I broke my leg (in Sri Lanka in 1999) I certainly changed my whole training regime and it seemed to have worked.

"I have had the odd injury here and there but nothing overly significant, sprains and strains.

"They are disappointing but you have just got to get back and get yourself ready again."

Gillespie said his goals for the West Indies tour were simple: return to the Australian side and make an impact.

"It's a great tour and a great place to play cricket," he said.

"The sun is on your back all the time and in your downtime you can head down to the beach and just relax.

"The conditions are quite tough for both batting and bowling and it's a real test of your cricket nous.

"The West Indies at home are a very tough side and you know you have to play very good cricket to win."