Australian captain Michael Clarke has said that he is confident that his team can win the ICC Champions Trophy tournament, despite their recent disappointing practice match against India.
The Australian skipper is racing against time to take part in his team's Champions Trophy campaign, with the latest flare-up in his back yet to settle, and is still in London getting treated by a specialist.
Stating that there was a huge contrast between their warm-up games with India and West Indies, Clarke said that he has observed that his team played exceptionally against the Caribbean and then put in a very disappointing performance against India, Telegraph.com.au reports.
According to Clarke, this contrast confirms that the Australians are unstoppable when they play to their full ability, although he added that that the team needed to improve their consistency, whether it is during games or from match to match.
Stating that there is always an extra edge when Australia plays against England, Clarke said that the edge would remain the same in their opening Champions Trophy match at Edgbaston on Saturday, adding that they are looking forward to starting the campaign against their old enemy with a victory.
According to Clarke, despite outside focus being on the Ashes, for Australia, the Champions Trophy is currently at the front of their minds as it has its own significance, adding that his team is hoping to ensure that they also win this year's tournament like the past two, given that it is the last edition of the tournament.
However, Clarke said that it was unacceptable of the team to lose in the warm-up game against India, adding that the team should not have taken off their foot from the pedal and should have retained their hold on the first half of their innings.
Stating that the game should be a valuable lesson for his men, Clarke said that he was frustrated at being forced to miss both the warm-up games due to a recurrence of his back problem, although he added that he is doing everything possible to be back on the squad.
