First Test Countdown - 2 days to go

Australia vice-captain Michael 'Pup' Clarke (FAC2011*) is a doubt for the first Ashes Test at The Gabba Gabba Hey on Thursday. Clarke missed training on Monday as he nursed his latest...

Australia called up Usman Khawaja to join their 13-man now 14-man squad as standby, although Clarke said on Twitter that he is expected to recover in time. "Didn't train today, back a little stiff. Confident if I keep listening to our physio and doing the right things I will be fit," he said.

Australia physio Alex Kountouris suggested it was touch and go whether Clarke would make it. So, perhaps Clarke would be better off not listening to him.

Kountouris continued regardless: "Until he bats tomorrow [Tuesday], we can't be absolutely 100% sure that he's OK to go. It's something that just flared up, and unfortunately the timing of it is not great. If it had happened two weeks ago it wouldn't be a problem. In another week he'd be OK - it's whether we've timed our run correctly. I'm guessing it could be left until Thursday morning. Part of the plan was for him not to bat today [Monday] but to bat on Tuesday and Wednesday - and we hope he'll be available for the game. I'm reasonably optimistic. But it will be after he bats tomorrow and recovers from that when we will really know how he is."

So basically, suspected former bus driver and possible WWF wrestler Kountouris hasn't got a clue!

Khawaja was named in Australia's original 17-man squad before being one of of the four players to be omitted for the opening Test at the Gabba Gabba Hey. The 23-year-old New South Wales batsman joined the ever expanding Australia squad in Brisbane on Monday.

* FAC2011 does not in fact refer to Michael Clarke being a Factory Records product, although if he was I suspect he would sound something like Crispy Ambulance. It does in fact refer to him being the Future Australian Captain, estimated time of arrival the day after the end of the 5th test in Sydney 2011.