Former Australian cricket coach John Buchanan says selectors are "well within their rights" to put deadlines on Michael Clarke's fitness for the World Cup, but he believes Clarke should remain captain ahead of Steve Smith after the tournament.
As revealed by Fairfax Media, senior cricket officials are discussing the prospect of Smith taking over the leadership duties on a full-time basis once Clarke rejoins the Test side.
The source of much of the angst is Cricket Australia imposing a February 21 deadline on Clarke to overcome his back and hamstring problems, while the 33-year-old hoped he would have until the March 4 clash with Afghanistan in Perth to prove his fitness.
Buchanan, who led Australia to World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007, said it was fair for an early deadline to be imposed.
"I think the selectors are totally well within their right," Buchanan said. "When you come into a tournament like this you want to bed everything down as quickly as you can. That's not only batting orders but in this case leadership, the running of sides and strategies.
"There need to be deadlines wherever possible so you can bed things down.
"Having said all of that, we took Andrew Symonds to the West Indies basically three-quarters fit. He basically pulled his biceps tendon off his shoulder, but we had medical advice that we could get him back and we gradually got him back in to train.
"In 2003 we obviously lost Warnie [Shane Warne] through the drug tests, so things can happen late. But generally you're trying to make sure that you basically have your sides and your strategies bedded down as much as you can for as long a period out as possible."
Clarke has been spending up to 17 hours a day on his body in an attempt to get fit for the World Cup.
Current coach Darren Lehmann said he had already settled on his best starting side for the marquee one-day international tournament, but he would not divulge its composition.
"From [Clarke's] point of view, he will desperately want to play," Buchanan said. "He will want every possible tolerance given to him to give him that opportunity.
"He is still captain of Australia, he is still one of our leading batsmen. I'm sure Lehmann and the rest of the crew will be keen to have him on board and playing well. But, nonetheless, it's a World Cup and while some privilege may be extended to him because of what he's done, in the end he's a player.
"The 15 who are going to play [will need to be settled], as much as you can possibly predict that."
Buchanan said Clarke should take over the reigns of the World Cup campaign from George Bailey and Steve Smith if available.
"If Clarke is deemed fit, he automatically goes into the captaincy role," he said. "He is slightly different in that he's not just a batsman but also their team captain. I'd also venture the thought that through the tournament, on those wickets and conditions, his sort of bowling would be handy – not mandatory and not totally integral, but handy.
"That thought would be in their minds as well as Michael Clarke's mind. He would hopefully be fit to do some of that if and when required, given they will in the main probably play [Glenn] Maxwell as their spinning all-rounder."
Asked if Clarke should remain captain of the Test team in the future, Buchanan said: "He's been appointed captain and if he is 100 per cent fit that's his role.
"It's good to know from what Smith did in the series – and of course George Bailey is an outstanding leader as well – that you have those guys in the backdrop."
