Sleepless Clark 'lives dream'
From Greg Buckle in Cape Town, South Africa
March 17, 2006
STUART Clark took a remarkable five-wicket haul on debut overnight as Australia bowled South Africa out for 205 in the first Test.
At stumps Australia was 1-63 in reply, a deficit of 142.
It was an emphatic show of strength by the game's top-ranked side after the embarrassment of conceding a world-record score of 9-438 in Sunday's deciding one-day international in Johannesburg.
South Africa crumbled to be all out in 63.5 overs at the Newlands ground here, after skipper Graeme Smith won the toss and batted first on a wicket offering some assistance to Australia's three-pronged seam attack.
Clark, a surprise inclusion at the expense of leg spinner Stuart MacGill, took 5-55 from 17 overs, with Ashes reject Michael Kasprowicz (2-44) also bowling well in his comeback match, replacing the unavailable Glenn McGrath.
Clark, 30, became the first Australian to take five wickets on his debut Test since Brett Lee's 5-47 against India at the MCG in December 1999.
He claimed key quartet Smith (19), Herschelle Gibbs (18), Jacques Kallis (6) and Mark Boucher (16) and also cut down top-scoring tailender Nicky Boje (31).
Clark, who said he had a sleepless night on Wednesday not knowing whether or not he would be playing, said said the team management only decided after the pre-match warm-up that he would play ahead of MacGill.
"It is a dream come true. Every kid grows up wanting to play for Australia," he said. "It was a bit of a surreal experience."
There was one lapse in Clark's performance ? when he dropped a catch at mid-off from No.10 batsman Andre Nel off Brett Lee.
The incident came soon after he had taken his fifth wicket and he admitted he probably had one eye on the scoreboard.
South Africa coach Mickey Arthur said it had been a calculated risk to bat first in seam-friendly conditions. He thought his players were a little flat after their efforts on Sunday but is confident they can bounce back.
Australia's seamers exploited the movement in the wicket which groundstaff had heavily watered to ensure that the re-used pitch holds up for five days.
Kasprowicz bowled opener AB De Villiers (eight) and removed Jacques Rudolph (10) after Shane Warne fumbled the chance at first slip and kicked it back to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.
Pace spearhead Lee (3-37) was damaging in the second session, dismissing Ashwell Prince (17) and Andrew Hall (24), both snapped up by Matthew Hayden whose diving effort to remove Hall was his third catch of the innings and 100th in Tests.
Lee also claimed Andre Nel (18), ending a stubborn 32-run stand for the 10th wicket with Makhaya Ntini (17 not out), in the highest partnership of a forgettable innings.
A reliable seam bowler in the McGrath mould, Clark has been mentored by Test cricket's leading paceman, who is unavailable for the tour because of wife Jane's cancer battle.
Clark became the 396th player to wear the baggy green cap for Australia after an on-field presentation by former fast bowler and selector Merv Hughes.
Australia lost opener Justin Langer (16) to a contentious lbw call off Nel, but the left hander had been fortunate to not be given out caught off the gloves in Makhaya Ntini's first over.
Matthew Hayden and captain Ricky Ponting added an unbeaten 42 for the second wicket.
The Proteas left out leading paceman Shaun Pollock because of a back injury and recalled Hall for his first Test since March 2005 in the West Indies.
Clark, who said he had a sleepless night on Wednesday not knowing whether or not he would be playing, said said the team management only decided after the pre-match warm-up that he would play ahead of MacGill.
"It is a dream come true. Every kid grows up wanting to play for Australia," he said. "It was a bit of a surreal experience."
There was one lapse in Clark's performance ? when he dropped a catch at mid-off from No.10 batsman Andre Nel off Brett Lee.
The incident came soon after he had taken his fifth wicket and he admitted he probably had one eye on the scoreboard.
South Africa coach Mickey Arthur said it had been a calculated risk to bat first in seam-friendly conditions. He thought his players were a little flat after their efforts on Sunday but is confident they can bounce back.
Scoreboard (stumps day one)
SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings
G SMITH c Gilchrist b Clark 19
AB De VILLIERS b Kasprowicz 8
H GIBBS b Clark 18
J KALLIS c Hayden b Clark 6
A PRINCE c Hayden b Lee 17
J RUDOLPH c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 10
M BOUCHER c Gilchrist b Clark 16
A HALL c Hayden b Lee 24
N BOJE lbw b Clark 31
A NEL lbw b Lee 18
M NTINI not out 17
Sundries (15 nb, 6lb) 21
Total 205
Fall: 24 (De Villiers), 42 (Smith), 48 (Kallis), 61 (Gibbs), 76 (Rudolph), 104 (Boucher), 124 (Prince), 148 (Hall), 173 (Boje), 205 (Nel).
Bowling: B Lee 14.5-2-37-3 (1nb), M Kasprowicz 13-0-44-2 (10nb), A Symonds 10-2-22-0 (2nb), S Clark 17-3-55-5 (1nb), S Warne 9-0-41-0 (1nb).
Batting time: 280 mins. Overs: 63.5.
AUSTRALIA 1st innings
J LANGER lbw b Nel 16
M HAYDEN not out 22
R PONTING not out 20
Sundries (lb5) 5
Total: one wicket for 63
Fall: 21 (Langer)
Bowling: Ntini 9-1-30-0, Nel 8-4-14-1, Hall 5-2-14-0, Boje 1-1-0-0. Overs: 23. Innings time: 100 mins.
6978.
- with AFP