Australia captain Michael Clarke has lost his race to be fit for Saturday's blockbuster World Cup opener against England.
Coach Darren Lehmann confirmed Clarke would not play at the Melbourne Cricket Ground despite the 33-year-old's quicker-than-expected recovery from hamstring surgery.
Clarke pulled on an Australia shirt for the first time in two months yesterday, hitting 64 and bowling two overs of spin, as his side finalised their World Cup preparations with a 188-run win over United Arab Emirates.
That sparked speculation Clarke could be set for an early return against England, after Cricket Australia had initially set him a deadline of proving his fitness by the February 21 match versus Bangladesh.
But Lehmann confirmed the plan remained for Clarke to return against the Tigers.
"No, he's not playing Saturday," Lehmann said.
"I'm happy with the way he pulled up, really happy with his progress and we're going to stick to the plan. He'll play against Bangladesh."
Lehmann said Clarke's hit-out against UAE could not have gone better, but that he and the medical staff were not willing to take any risks over his comeback.
"(I'm) really happy with the way it has gone," Lehmann added.
"The way he batted, ran, fielded, bowled - he ticked all the boxes. Now it's about a good solid week and get ready for Bangladesh."
Clarke has worked tirelessly around the clock to get himself back to fitness after suffering the injury during the first Test against India in early December.
Lehmann hinted that Clarke had been slightly disappointed to be kept in cotton wool for what looms as one of the biggest matches of the tournament.
"We've just had a chat. He's respectful of what we're trying to do to get him right," he said.
"He's a quality player and a quality leader and while we would have loved to have him available for this game we're making sure he's 100 per cent ready to go for Bangladesh."
Australia's final #cwc15 warm-up saw Australia fire with the bat and in the field. WATCH: http://t.co/mRTUyBagxBpic.twitter.com/2E4AK3jCol
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) February 11, 2015
Australia will go into the game with only 13 fully-fit players, as all-rounder James Faulkner also sits out because of the side strain he suffered in the Tri-Series final.
Lehmann believes Faulkner is on track to make a return during the World Cup after it was initially feared his tournament could be over.
"He's batting comfortably now so that's a good sign for us," he said.
"We're dictated by the medical team with that and hopefully he'll resume bowling very shortly."