Australia batting coach backs Michael Clarke

Australia batting coach Michael di Venuto has insisted that Michael Clarke can rediscover his form with the bat before the end of the Ashes series.

The captain has managed just 94 runs in six innings in the opening three Tests of the series, resulting in speculation over his future in the team.

The 41-year-old, who played in nine one-day internationals for Australia, told Cricket Australia's website: "The skipper is a hard trainer and he's doing all the right things. I guess we saw it in this [third] Test match with Ian Bell, class is permanent.

"You don't lose your class. He is not scoring the runs that he would like at the moment but you don't play the amount of cricket that he has played not for something just to be around the corner. And we're quite confident that he'll come good in this series."

Australia currently trail 2-1 in the series, with the fourth Test getting underway at Trent Bridge on Thursday.