Clark Spell Has Proteas Reeling
The Age
Friday March 17, 2006
REPORTS of Australia's post-Glenn McGrath demise may have been greatly exaggerated. Stuart Clark, typecast as a McGrath clone for the past few years, ran through the South African top order in a magnificent debut spell in Test cricket, removing Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs, and reducing the home side to 8-155 at tea.
It was a memorable morning for Clark, who became Australia's 396th Test player and the oldest Australian fast-bowling debutant since Sam Gannon in the World Series era.Combining with Michael Kasprowicz (2-44), Clark (4-34) had the South Africans in deep trouble at 8-155 at tea on day one of the first Test.Within two hours of being presented his first Test cap by Merv Hughes, Clark was leading the Australians from the field at the lunch break, having bowled with the kind of bounce and movement for which McGrath long has been renowned. Clark also justified the faith of the selectors, Hughes included, who made the bold call to include him over Stuart MacGill in the starting XI, despite playing on a Newlands wicket that is expected to take plenty of turn.Tall, methodical and unerringly accurate, the 30-year-old returned figures of 3-13 from his first six overs, including the wickets of the heroes of Johannesburg, Smith and Gibbs, after the home side won the toss and elected to bat.Following Michael Kasprowicz's removal of A.B. de Villiers for eight to begin proceedings, Clark made short work of the Proteas' top order. Smith became his first victim, prodding at a delivery that jagged slightly away off the wicket to be caught by Adam Gilchrist for 19.Any hopes of a first-session consolidation from the South Africans were soon dashed when Clark removed Kallis just six runs later. On this occasion, Kallis was mostly to blame for playing a rash, backfoot cut on a slow-paced wicket - Matthew Hayden accepting the catch in the gully.But the delivery to remove Gibbs would prove Clark's finest. Fresh from his 175 in Sunday's one-day finale in Johannesburg, Gibbs was deceived by a delivery that again just barely moved away from the bat. The ball thundered into Gibbs' off stump, leaving South Africa 4-66 at the lunch break.Australia's systematic deconstruction of South Africa's batting line-up continued after the break. Kasprowicz, bowling solidly in his return to Test cricket despite a frustrating run of no-balls, caught the outside edge of Jacques Rudolph and leapt in anticipation as the ball sped at waist height to Shane Warne at first slip. Warne, though, botched the catch badly - the ball bouncing from his hands as he fell backwards. But just as all seemed lost, Warne thrust out a foot, caught the ball before it hit the turf and toed a catch to Gilchrist.Clark maintained the pressure on the South Africans in the lea-up to tea, dismissing Mark Boucher (16) to a magnificent, diving Gilchrist catch. And Lee made two breakthroughs before tea, dismissing Ashwell Prince and Andrew Hall to sharp gully catches from Hayden. The dismissal of Hall, the only South African batsman to pass 20 before tea, was particularly noteworthy, travelling low and fast to Hayden's left side and resulting in the fieldsman's 100th Test catch.Clark's similarities with McGrath go further than appearances; he also resides in the same Sydney suburb and has taken on his mentor's approach to bowling.First at domestic level, then in the one-day international arena, Clark has improved markedly in recent seasons. Should McGrath retire in the coming seasons, expect Clark to play a leading role in the rebuilding of Australia's fast bowling attack.His inclusion surprised the Proteas, who had expected Australia to field a dual leg-spin attack of MacGill and Warne to take advantage of the conditions and South Africa's supposed susceptibility to slow bowling. Indeed, even the local curator was adamant his pitch would suit the spin pair.But the tourists, concerned at MacGill's indifferent form at domestic level and Lee's heavy workload, opted for the more cautious option of three pacemen. The decision appears a masterstroke.
© 2006 The Age