Haddin likely to take over reins if 'injured' Clarke is scratched from Test summer

Cricket Australia (CA) has revealed that beleaguered Michael Clarke would be scratched from the entire Test summer, admitting that the hamstring surgery might be an option for the ailing captain, and also confirmed that Brad Haddin would be named Australia's 45th captain.

CA's manager of team performance Pat Howard confirmed that Haddin would be named Australia's 45th captain for the first Test against India in Brisbane if fit, as a variety of treatment methods are looked at in a desperate bid to ensure Clarke's body can survive the World Cup and next year's Ashes.

Surgery would be considered a last resort, but after three left hamstring breakdowns in 12 weeks for Clarke, Howard admits that a more aggressive solution can't be ruled out, News.com.au reported.

Clarke would meet a series of specialists in Sydney and Melbourne and if the decision was made for him to go under the knife in the next couple of days, he would be facing a best-case scenario of eight weeks on the sidelines.

That recovery time would give him just over a month to get fit for the start of the World Cup on February 14. Howard said that Clarke has virtually got no chance of taking part in the Indian Test series at all as CA look long-term in their rehabilitation plans for the 33-year-old skipper.

Clarke's future as an ODI player would also be reassessed after the World Cup.

Howard said that everything is on the table at this point and they saw fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile go through hamstring surgery and come back in eight weeks, adding that obviously that's one possibility yes, but there are a lot of processes to actually go through.

He said that they have gone down a conservative process a couple of times to keep Clarke playing and the skipper got through a couple of Tests in the UAE, but added that they are not going to close any doors at this point.

Howard said that the priorities are World Cup and Ashes and sometimes one has got to take a little bit more medium-term or longer-term picture.