Clark ready for loss of 'safety blankets'

Stuart Clark says Australia are well prepared to cover the losses of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, but admits it will be strange not having them around to "save the day". The two retirements have elevated Clark to major weapon instead of support bowler for the start of a packed schedule over the next 18 months.

However, Clark is confident Australia won't suffer in the same way as West Indies when they lost a series of great players. "You would be lying if you said that Australia will for sure continue to be as dominant without those guys," Clark said in the Sydney Morning Herald. "They're irreplaceable, like Viv Richards was. But I think we're in a much better position to deal with those losses than the Windies were."

Clark, who has taken 47 wickets in nine Tests, is likely to form a bowling attack with Brett Lee and Shaun Tait - if they recover from ankle and elbow injuries - and he knows the new combination faces extra obstacles. "The thing we're all going to have to get used to is not having the safety blanket of Glenn and Shane around," he said. "With them, you always knew that if things weren't quite going your way, they'd be there to save the day."

Changes to the Australia team haven't been the only thing affecting Clark during the off-season. Geoff Lawson, who has helped Clark with his bowling, and Trevor Bayliss, the former New South Wales coach, have moved to Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"It will be strange not having 'Henry' [Lawson] around," Clark said. "He's been helping me since I was 17, and in many ways is for me what Terry Jenner is for Shane Warne. [Bayliss] has been really good for my cricket since he came on board at New South Wales."

Sri Lanka arrive for two Tests in November and Clark and Bayliss have already swapped text messages to "rev each other up". "He's told me that he knows my game inside out and that the Lankans will smash me around the park," Clark said. "I've told him that they're no chance if he's basing that on his useless coaching tips. It should be fun."