Clark swings closer to county stint

Stuart Clark could be the beneficiary of southern English hospitality in his bid to return to full fitness for the Ashes series. Clark, who is recovering from an elbow injury, is understood to be considering a county stint, with Kent or Hampshire looming as the most likely destination.

Clark made a premature comeback in a desperate 11th-hour bid to earn selection for Australia's tour to South Africa, but now finds himself with few competitive options ahead of the Ashes. He was overlooked in the Indian Premier League draft, and is no certainty to make the one-day and Twenty20 squads for the away series against Pakistan and the Twenty20 World Cup in England. Clark has also been ruled out of New South Wales' final Sheffield Shield match on the orders of Cricket Australia's medical staff.

Paul Millman, the Kent chief executive, confirmed he had held discussions with Clark, and said he would have no qualms signing an Australian player in an Ashes year. "I went through all that with Steve Waugh [in 2002], and I can honestly say that getting him over was one of the best things that has happened to Kent cricket," Millman said.

"He brought so much to our team, and our players learned a lot from him. I don't think that, in the grand scheme of things, having an Australian over for a month or two is going to have a huge impact on the result of the Ashes."

A spell at Kent would provide Clark with the intriguing prospect of playing under the coach Graham Ford. Ford is considered among the front-runners to assume the England coaching post ahead of the Ashes.

Any move to Hampshire would be contingent on the county parting ways with the Australian Marcus North, who made his Test debut on Thursday. North signed with Hampshire in January, but could become a regular fixture in Ricky Ponting's side.