BRISBANE: Michael Clarke's hamstring surgery had given "the best result" possible, former great Shane Warne said Wednesday, raising hopes the Australian skipper will make the upcoming World Cup.
Clarke badly tore his right hamstring on Saturday during the first Test against India in Adelaide, a match he went into under an injury cloud given his long history of back complaints.
The 33-year-old said after the match that he was unlikely to play any further part in the four-match Test series against India and that injury could cut short his career.
But Warne, a close friend of Clarke, said his future was looking better after he underwent surgery on Tuesday.
"It was the best result humanly possible they could have had for the operation," Warne said during his commentary of the current Test in Brisbane for the Nine Network, adding that Clarke was "looking forward to trying to make a good comeback".
"It's a better result than expected. Previously the World Cup was a long shot, now he's more of a chance given how well the operation went."
Earlier Clarke tweeted that the "surgery went really well."
Clarke had a rough lead-up to the first Test, battling injury and dealing with the shock loss of friend and cricketer Phillip Hughes who died after being hit in the head by a cricket ball during a domestic match.
Clarke retired hurt in his first innings in Adelaide as an old back injury flared and he needed injections to bat again, resuming the next day to complete a century.
On the final day of the match Clarke suffered the new injury while pulling up sharply while fielding, forcing him to watch on as his team-mates pulled off a thrilling 48-run victory over the Indians.
While the hamstring injury has ruled him out of the Test series, it is hoped he will be fit to play in the World Cup jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand which begins on February 14.
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