However, the former Australia captain, admitted that a good start by the Indian batsmen might pose a threat to Australia.
Clarke hopeful of Australia finding right mix between youth and experience after the team was described as a "Dad's Army" by former fast bowler and present Yorkshire coach, Jason Gillespie.
South African paceman Dale Steyn played down his rift with Australia captain Michael Clarke on Tuesday, saying their supposed feud had been "a bit silly".
Top order batsman Shaun Marsh was called into the Australia squad for the third Test against New Zealand on Wednesday along with pace bowler James Pattinson and left arm spinner Steve O'Keefe.
'We do not have any problem, if IPL is shifted from Maharashtra this season.'
The pacer injures ankle during warm-up session; Kyle Abbott has been called up as replacement
He idolises Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a cricketer and Pakistani wicketkeeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed on Sunday said he would love to play the role of a finisher like the celebrated Indian skipper. "I follow him a lot. The way he's making a difference with wicket-keeping and batting, I try to learn a lot from him. He's a very good cricketer for India, and I idolise him. Hope I too will be able to finish the match like him," Sarfraz said in an Open Media Session. Having impressed both with the bat and as a wicketkeeper, Sarfraz wants to be an utility player like the star Indian skipper. "It's great to be here. About my batting order, I play according to my team's need, be it up or lower down the order. I've been doing well," said the Pakistani U-19 World Cup winning skipper. However, Sarfraz rued their forgettable outing at Asia Cup but said they've plugged the loopholes and hoped to make an impact in the World Twenty20. "The condition was difficult in Bangladesh. Every team faced the situation in initial six overs. We have sorted this out. The condition will be similar to Pakistan here. Hope we will do well here," he said.
Indian women's cricket team would look to extend its domination in the shortest format and achieve a rare double series win
Australia captain Michael Clarke pledged to celebrate first and worry about white-washing England later after winning back the Ashes on Tuesday, and his team did their skipper proud at a party at a Perth casino hosted by Shane Warne.
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup
AB de Villiers reveals the worst sledging he's ever witnessed
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has finally broken his silence on his decision to retire abruptly from one-day international last November during the series against England. "It unfortunate I am blamed for the limited over series defeat to England. But one thing is clear I didn't retire abruptly or because of either head coach Waqar Younis or anyone else," Younis said on Geo Super channel. Younis, 37, said he had wanted to retire from ODIs gracefully like he had done from T20 cricket in 2009. He said he was in and out of the ODI team and had to wait for months before he was picked in the team and could retire. "Even where Test cricket is concerned when I feel it is the right time I will announce my retirement. It will be my decision," he added. Younis also declined to comment on statements by Waqar that Younis's sudden retirement on the morning of the first ODI against England upset the team and that he had sat down with Younis and told he could play at any position in all four matches of the series.
Patrick Cummins sustained a minor injury but all-rounder James Faulkner is close to a return.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni knows the introduction of broadcast technology has enhanced the viewing experience for fans but the Indian skipper has called for restraint after the overhead 'Spidercam' interfered with play in Saturday's one-dayer against Australia.
The 2015 ICC World Cup has thrown up a lot of exciting moments since it began last week on February 14. Rediff.com gives you a quick flashback of all the action-packed, intense moments that had us watch in awe.
Former Test player and coach Mudassar Nazar feels BCCI has been unfair to Pakistan and advised the Pakistan Cricket Board to look after its own interests where cricket ties with India are concerned. "The present situation is really sad for me. It leaves me disappointed. Because I have played a lot against India in India, Pakistan and Sharjah and I know how important these matches are for development of a player and raising resources for the boards," Mudassar, who is now Director Academies in the board, told PTI in an interview.
India will be looking for resurrection against Afghanistan.
Australia A all-rounder Ashton Agar has said his side is excited about taking on India Test skipper Virat Kohli when he turns up for India A in the final four-day cricket match starting here tomorrow but insisted that there is no specific plan to tackle the star batsman.
India's bowlers may have come under severe criticism for a below-par showing in the recent Test series in Australia but head coach Duncan Fletcher has defended them, saying the thrashing they got from the home side's batsmen was due to the inexperience of some of them.
Batsmen have dominated Australia's series against New Zealand, but the pink ball and a green-tinged wicket should swing the balance of power back to the bowlers when Adelaide hosts Test cricket's inaugural day-night match.
Lashing out at the BCCI for converting Indian public to "zombies of cricket" by foisting tournaments like IPL "tamasha", former Sports Minister MS Gill asked the Board to have some sanity in its thinking and shift the matches of the lucrative T20 competition out of drought-hit Maharashtra. Gill, who served as the Union Sports Minister from April 2008 to May 2009 and currently a Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, was reacting after Bombay High Court raised questions on why water should be "wasted" on hosting IPL matches in Maharashtra when the state is facing one of its worst-ever droughts. In total, 20 IPL matches are scheduled to be held in Maharashtra in three venues -- Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. "The drought condition in Maharashtra is so severe that in a few days people in areas like Marathawada will not even have a glass of water to drink. As a former Sports Minister and ex-Agriculture Secretary, I know that several parts of Maharashtra are bone dry and I am amazed that in this situation the BCCI wants to hold these IPL matches," Gill told PTI.
Ravichandran Ashwin has defended the much hyped in-house rivalry between him and comeback-man Harbhajan Singh.
Just to clear the air, the first ball of the game, each game, should just be a bouncer, reckons Merv Hughes.
South Africa have named teenage speedster Kagiso Rabada in a 14-man squad for their three-match home Test series against West Indies, Cricket South Africa announced on Tuesday.
India's Test captain Virat Kohli says his whole outlook towards fitness changed after the 2012 Indian Premier League. A healthier body has not only made him a better batsman, but an improved fielder too.
Ryan Harris claimed the last two wickets at the fag end of the match as South Africa were bowled out for 265 and lost the third and final Test by 245 runs at Newlands on Wednesday. Australia won the series 2-1.
Dale Steyn produced a ferocious spell of fast bowling to inspire South Africa to a crushing 231-run victory over Australia in fading light on day four of the second Test on Sunday.
Virat Kohli is arguably the fittest Indian cricketer around, but that is not good enough for the champion batsman. He wants to be the best athlete in the world, says Royal Challengers Bangalore and India's fitness coach, Shanker Basu.
Mitchell Johnson took his match haul to 10 after claiming three South Africa wickets on Saturday as Australia reduced the hosts, facing a 482-run target for victory, to 132 for five in the first Test.
Late call-up Shaun Marsh scored an unbeaten century in his first Test in two years to lead a middle-order recovery as Australia closed at 297 for four on the first day of the first Test against South Africa on Wednesday.
Insisting that fitness standards in Indian cricket have improved over the years, the national team's Australian physiotherapist Patrick Farhart says he closely monitors each member of the squad as the body-types of players differ considerably.
The BCCI reacted cautiously to a sting operation which alleged pitch doctoring in three Test matches featuring India, saying it would consider action against implicated former cricketer Robin Morris only if he is found guilty in an ongoing ICC probe.
Crediting bowlers for Indian team's remarkable turnaround after a win less show preceding the World Cup, Virat Kohli feels it is the perfect time to beat Australia in Thursday's semi-final and do justice to their performance in the showpiece event.
Flamboyant allrounder and former captain, Shahid Afridi believes that Pakistan cricket think-tank has erred by having too many expectations from out of favor batsmen, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal. "I don't know but it was wrong to expect them to be like Virat Kohli or Ab de Villiers and perform like them," Afridi said on Geo News channel on Monday. Shehzad and Umar considered to be two of the country's best young batting talent have been axed for the tour to England on disciplinary grounds and were not called for the training and skills camps set up by the cricket board. PCB Chairman, Shaharyar Khan made it clear that it was the decision of the new selection committee to sideline the two youngsters. Afridi said there was no doubt that Shehzad and Umar needed to work hard on their cricket and approach. "I also agree there should be no compromise on discipline. But I think it is best if we stop expecting too much from them and just let them be and let them play the way they do. With more experience I am sure they will be much better," he added.
Gunmen on Wednesday shot dead six guards protecting a Spanish round-the-world cyclist in a violent and remote area of western Pakistan where a bus bomb killed 24 Shi'ite pilgrims a day earlier, police said.
The vagaries of the World Cup draw may have helped Pakistan rediscover their swagger at just the right time to push them to the brink of a quarter-final, according to captain Misbah ul-Haq.
'The players are playing the situation, whatever the teams need at that time. Players are professionals, so they tend to mould into that situation rather than thinking too much about who we are playing. It's a ball and bat and you just want to perform with those.'
India opener Shikhar Dhawan has said the "controlled and aggressive" nature of skipper Virat Kohli rubs on the entire team and fires up the players to be more attacking on the field.
Senior Pakistan batsman Younis Khan, toast of the nation three months ago after reeling off four Test hundreds, has become the target of criticism after the team's humiliating World Cup losses with senior players calling on him to retire.
Sunil Gavaskar has said India were superior to Pakistan in every aspect of the game during their World Cup win in Adelaide but said they need to work more on their bowling and fielding before they take on title-contenders such as Australia and New Zealand.
