Bailey reminds critics of Oz No. 1 batsman Clarke's proven track record

Australia ODI team vice-captain George Bailey has backed his skipper Michael Clarke, saying that the recent criticism of their number one batsman was completely unwarranted and pointed to the captain's proven record of leading from the front.

Australia has given Clarke its emphatic backing as they announced their World Cup campaign under way in Perth. The chance to go head-to-head in a five-game series with World Cup favourites South Africa starting on Friday is being treated by Australia as a selection audition of the highest importance.

A 30-man preliminary World Cup squad would be picked on December 7 and for the 13 men named for Australia for the five-match series against South Africa, their places in the historic event on home soil are theirs to lose, News.com.au reported.

India in 2011 is the only team to ever win a World Cup they've hosted, and Australia has a chance to prepare better for the rare chance than it did in a failed attempt in 1992.

Clarke has come under the microscope since he returned from the disastrous tour of the UAE last week, but Bailey said that the pressure hadn't affected the skipper's demeanour.

Bailey said that he does not think Clarke's character changes at all when he's under pressure, adding that if one looks at his record as a player he responds pretty well to pressure.

Bailey said that Clarke generally goes out and does one thing and that's score big runs.

He said that he wouldn't have thought there's any grounds for criticism, adding that people can look at Clarke's record and it speaks for itself.

Bailey said that the difficulty of the conditions Australia faced against Pakistan had been underplayed in the critique of Clarke's captaincy. He added that the results in the Middle East would have no bearing on what happens against South Africa the most anticipated one-day series on Australian soil in recent memory.