Michael Clarke rushed to hospital

Australian Test captain Michael Clarke has spent the night in hospital with a severe bout of gastroenteritis.

Reports indicate Clarke was taken from his home in an ambulance yesterday and was retained for observation, surrounded by as many as nine monitoring scanners.

He was released this morning and Cricket Australia has confirmed that he is recovering at home.

He returned from Australia's unsuccessful tour of India early last week after sustaining a recurrence of a back injury that he has carried since the age of 17.

The news will surely be a relief to the Australian camp, with the skipper already in a race against time to be fit for the upcoming Ashes series in England.