Poms not the issue, real fight is among quicks: Clark

LEICESTER - A spot in Australia’s pace-bowling attack, it seems, is a more pressing issue for the team than strategizing plans to overwhelm the Poms in the Ashes.

That’s what pacer Stuart Clark says.

Clark, who flew out of Sydney for England last night with Test openers Simon Katich and Phillip Hughes, is adamant Mitchell Johnson is the only bowler guaranteed of a start against the Poms ahead of the first Test in Cardiff.

Clark is more than ready to rumble with fellow quicks Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Brett Lee for the other three pace vacancies.

“I’m as ready as ever. I can’t wait to get over there,” Clark said yesterday.

“A lot has been made about how competitive it will be. It will be competitive for each and every one of us, but there will be no animosity or nastiness between the players,” Fox Sports quoted him, as saying.

Clark said: “I’m hoping experience (will be taken on board), my sort of bowling in their conditions. I’m hoping I get some wickets in the first few games as well. I know I’ve done the preparation, it’s just a matter of playing now.”

Clark, who at 197cm is the tallest of the quicks, was rarely sighted over the Australian summer because of an elbow injury.

But he has worked around the clock to return to full fitness at the SCG and Cricket Academy in Brisbane, including net sessions with the Duke balls to be used in the best-of-five Ashes series.

Clark, 33, threw his support behind the theory that Johnson should step up as Australia’s genuine all-rounder, which would free up another place for a bowler.

Clark and Lee are the only two Aussie bowlers to have experienced English conditions, and it was a relatively inexperienced Clark who held his own against the Poms when Australia won back the Ashes on home soil.

Clark took 26 wickets at an average of 17.03 in that series and said to play England in an Ashes series was the ultimate experience. (ANI)