5 careers which never took off under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy

#2 Stuart Clark

Stuart Clark started his Test career with a Man of the Series performance in South Africa in 2006

A medium-pacer who tried his best to squeeze into the Australian side in the presence of the mighty trio of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie, Stuart Clark was only offered sporadic opportunities, though they became more frequent once Gillespie was dropped in 2006. Beginning with a bang on the tour of South Africa in the same year, Clark was the Man of the Series with 20 wickets at a measly 15.85, having taken the place of McGrath, who was away to attend to his sick wife.

That form continued in the 2006-07 Ashes, where he tormented the Englishmen with his accuracy which brought him 26 wickets at 17.04, and against India the following summer, having dismissed Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman each twice in the series. When in West Indies in 2008, Clark bagged 13 scalps at 19.31, including career-best figures of 5/32 in the first Test at Jamaica, where he was named the Man of the Match.

But 24 Tests and 39 ODIs were all that came his way, though he was never entirely injury free as well.