Stronger Clarke ready to tackle swing

Michael Clarke's first Ashes tour left him with few happy memories but he is confident he has returned as a stronger and more mature player. When Clarke visited in 2005 not only did they lose the urn but his own form was disappointing; he managed only two half-centuries and was cut from the Test team a few months later.

On this trip Clarke is the team's vice-captain and Australia's reigning Test Player of the Year and Allan Border Medalist. Of the 16-man squad only Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee have more Test experience than Clarke, who believes he has grown significantly since 2005.

"In the last four years my game has improved," Clarke said. "I've hopefully matured with age and experience. I've played a lot of international cricket over the last four years. I guess just the experience of all different conditions will hold me in good stead for the ball swinging over here."

Clarke is one of only four men, along with Ponting, Lee and Simon Katich, who played in the losing Tests in 2005. The squad does not have the aura that the previous touring party had, when Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden were key men, but it also means there aren't too many lingering memories of the defeat.

"There's not too many of the guys who were here in 2005, so I don't think there's too much of that," Clarke said. "There's obviously hunger because it's a new Test series, it's the Ashes, which you grow up as a kid looking forward to playing."

Clarke said Australia's training regime had been "a little bit of a boot camp" since the full squad gathered last week. Their first tour match, against Sussex in Hove, begins on Wednesday and a 12-man team will be chosen as the Australians try to narrow down their likely starting line-up for the first Test.

Their net sessions have been competitive, particularly with five fast bowlers and two allrounders jostling for what may only be three positions. Clarke said he didn't know who would miss out on the tour match, which is the first of two warm-up games before the opening Test.

England are also pondering their best group for the Cardiff Test and were set to name a 16-man training squad on Monday. Clarke said the Australians were excited at the possibility of facing Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison, who were key players in 2005, but have been out of the Test side lately due to injury and form respectively.

"Both guys are fantastic cricketers and I think England would want them both fully fit and taking part in this series," Clarke said. "We want to beat England at their best, and I hope for their sake they're both fully fit and ready to perform if they get that opportunity."