Michael Clarke sits out training with ankle injury but will play in Adelaide Australian captain Michael Clarke rubs his right ankle after rolling it in training. AUSTRALIAN captain Michael Clarke sat out training at the Adelaide Oval today after rolling his ankle during practice yesterday but team officials are adamant he will play in the Second Ashes Test starting on Thursday. Clarke was limping slightly as he strode up and down the new drop-in pitch, carefully studying it before the start of training and it came as no surprise when an announcement was made soon after that he would not be joining the other players in fielding drills. Australia, currently 1-0 up against England in its quest to "return the urn," is desperate for Clarke to play what will be his 99th Test and certainly he would not want to miss out on what looks like a batsman's paradise. As it is, the Adelaide Oval already is a happy hunting ground for him, one of the two grounds in Australia - the other being the Gabba - and one of only three anywhere in the world where he averages over 100 runs per innings. The flint hard, straw-coloured pitch prepared by curator Damian Hough holds the promise of him actually improving his Adelaide average.