Cricket: Bailey realistic on future

George Bailey. Photo / AP

George Bailey is facing the possibility of captaining Australia for the opening game of the World Cup and then being dropped for the rest of the tournament.

While Bailey will lead the team for the Tri-Series one-dayer against India at the SCG on Monday, his place in the side is far from assured after a form slump over the last 12 months.

With Michael Clarke aiming to return for Australia's second World Cup clash against Bangladesh on February 21, Bailey knows he may have to make way.

"If I'm not scoring runs and they pick him, [Clarke] then that's fine," Bailey said. "That's the nature of the game - you're scoring runs or you're not scoring runs, you get picked or you don't. It's a really basic equation ... It's obvious - if Pup is there, then one of the batsmen makes way.

"Whether that's me or someone else, that's how it is."

Bailey has scored just 15 runs in Australia's opening two games of the Tri-Series, after averaging 25.40 against South Africa and 15.33 against Pakistan in the UAE.

After a superb 2013, his form has dipped significantly, with just three ODI half centuries since Australia Day last year. While acknowledging he was not putting scores on the board, he refused to call it a slump and said his lack of runs had coincided with moving down the order.

With Shane Watson (hamstring) to miss Monday's clash with India, he said he looked at the game as a chance to move up the order.

- AAP