Clarke comes through net session in Brisbane

Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke completed a net session at the Gabba, telling team-mates he felt good as he raced to be fit in time for the start of the first Ashes Test against England's cricketers on Thursday.

Clarke has been battling a back injury that kept him out of a first class game for New South Wales last week and forced him to miss the Australian team's training session on Monday.

He had said on his Twitter page on Monday that he felt confident he would be fit in time for the start of the keenly anticipated series, though captain Ricky Ponting had said he needed to practice on Tuesday to be considered for the Test.

Clarke took part in fielding drills and had a net session practising his batting on Tuesday. Local media said he finished the session with a grin on his face.

"He batted for about 45 minutes today. He had a bit of a throw-down in the outside nets," fast bowler Mitchell Johnson told reporters.

"He said that he felt pretty good with the throw-downs and with the batting stuff that he did so that's good signs for him and for Australia.

"He's still got another two days to prove himself," he added.