Clark ready to return for Blues against Bulls
BRISBANE, Oct 19 AAP - NSW paceman Stuart Clark has declared himself ready for a shot at Queensland in tomorrow's ING Cup one-day clash at the Gabba after overcoming the ankle injury which has made him a temporary spectator.
Michael Crutcher
19-Oct-2002
BRISBANE, Oct 19 AAP - NSW paceman Stuart Clark has declared himself ready for a shot at Queensland in tomorrow's ING Cup one-day clash at the Gabba after overcoming the ankle injury which has made him a temporary spectator.
Clark has spent the last four days in the Gabba stands watching the Blues surrender first innings points to Queensland in a grinding Pura Cup match.
The Australia A quick was a last-minute withdrawal from that game after failing to convince medical staff his ankle would stand up to long spells in the Brisbane heat.
But Clark has been passed fit for tomorrow's match, which will be the third match in eight days between the arch-rivals.
"I've been bowling a bit over the last couple of days and I had a long bowl this morning so I should be fine for this game," Clark said today.
"It was touch-and-go for the four-day game and the decision on whether I'd play changed about six times on the night before the game.
"But I was still a bit sore so in the end it was decided to let it go for a game."
Clark injured his left ankle during a one-day match for Australia A against South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg last month and the Blues missed him during the four-day match.
The 26-year-old will be a valuable addition to the Blues team which beat Queensland by 45 runs at North Sydney Oval last Sunday in the opening match of their ING Cup defence.
Queensland selectors have stuck with the same team which experienced a top-order slump against the Blues, hoping the likes of Jimmy Maher and Martin Love can return to their best form in front of their home crowd.
The Bulls lost the ING Cup final to NSW at the Gabba last season, preventing their pursuit of the four-day and one-day crowns in the same season.
Queensland: Jimmy Maher (capt), Martin Love, Lee Carseldine, Clinton Perren, Andrew Symonds, Brendan Nash, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, Ashley Noffke, Michael Kasprowicz, Scott Brant, Damien MacKenzie.
NSW: Simon Katich (capt), Brad Haddin, Corey Richards, Michael Bevan, Michael Clarke, Shane Lee, Dominic Thornely, Shawn Bradstreet, Don Nash, Stuart MacGill, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark (all 12 to play).