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Clark inspires Aussies to victory - BBC.com

Australia improved their remarkable Test record in Cape Town as they beat South Africa with two days to spare.

Ricky Ponting's men bowled out the home side for 197 and went on to make it nine wins from of 10 Tests at Newlands.

Pace bowler Stuart Clark rounded off a memorable debut by taking four wickets for match figures of 9-89.

Needing just 95 for victory, Australia lost Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting to Makhaya Ntini before finally sealing a seven-wicket victory.

Hayden and Langer put on an opening partnership of 71 to snuff out any faint hopes South Africa may have had of somehow turning the match on its head.

Hayden, who stood his ground on 27 after Andrew Hall claimed a low catch at deep-wicket and was given the benefit of the doubt by the umpires, finally skied Ntini to gully and departed for 32.

Ntini struck again three balls later when Langer, on 34, dragged a ball onto his stump and then had Ponting lbw for a single as he took 3-28 from 10 overs.

But that was the final alarm for Australia as Damien Martyn and Mike Hussey steered them past the finishing post.

Clark had a chance earlier in the day to become only the third Australian in history to mark his first Test appearance by taking 10 wickets.

Having taken 5-55 in South Africa's first innings, he dismissed Jacques Kallis (36) and Ashwell Prince (27) before lunch with the help of keeper Adam Gilchrist's safe hands.

Then, following the resumption he deceived Nicky Boje into giving him a return catch and beat Andre Nel all ends up with a yorker.

Only Clarrie Grimmett (11-82 against England at Sydney in 1924-25) and Bob Massie (16-137 against England at Lord's in 1972) had previously picked up 10 wickets on debut for Australia.

But Clark was denied his chance to join them when Ntini hoisted a ball from Shane Warne to Michael Kasprowicz at long on.

The only partnership of note for South Africa was between Jacques Rudolph and Hall, who added 50 for the seventh wicket.

Rudolph batted for over seven hours to save South Africa from defeat by Australia in Perth last December.

But an error of judgement cost him his wicket for 41 as he played no stroke to a wide ball from Warne which spun back sharply to hit the stumps.

Hall eventually ran out of partners on 34, with Warne returning figures of 3-77 to take his Test wickets tally to 662.