CAPE TOWN, March 16: Seam bowler Stuart Clark took five wickets on his debut as Australia took command on the first day of the first Test against South Africa at Newlands on Thursday.

Clark took five for 55 as South Africa crumbled to 205 all out. Australia were 63 for one at the close.

Clark, 30, took full advantage of overcast conditions and a pitch which offered seam movement as he became the first Australian in more than six years to take five wickets in an innings in his first Test.

Fast bowler Brett Lee, the previous man to achieve the feat, against India in Melbourne in the Boxing Day Test of 1999-00, took three for 37 as South Africa crashed back to earth just four days after hammering a world record 438 for nine in a one-day international against Australia.

The tall Clark bowled at a brisk pace with a relentless accuracy that would have won the approval of fellow New South Wales player Glenn McGrath, who was not available for the tour because of his wife’s illness.

He bowled a consistent line on or just outside the off stump and made the ball move both ways off the seam.

After Michael Kasprowicz made the first breakthrough, bowling A.B. de Villiers in the 10th over, Clark struck with his ninth ball when he had South African captain Graeme Smith caught behind for 19.

For Smith, who made a century and a 90 in the recent one-day series, it was a continuation of a run of low Test scores against Australia. He made 155 runs in six innings, with a top score of 39, when South Africa were beaten 2-0 in a three-match series in Australia earlier this season.

By deciding to bat first after winning the toss, Smith backed his batsmen to battle through what was always likely to be a difficult few hours because of the overhead conditions and early dampness in the pitch.

But Clark plunged the home side into a parlous position, following up the wicket of Smith by dismissing leading batsmen Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs as South Africa collapsed to 61 for four before lunch.

He continued his spell after the break and had South African wicket-keeper Mark Boucher caught behind before coming back later to trap top-scorer Nicky Boje leg before wicket.

South Africa relied on their lower order batsmen to give some respectability to their innings. All-rounder Andrew Hall, who replaced the injured Shaun Pollock, made 24 batting at number eight while Boje, batting at number nine, scored 31.

The highest partnership was 32 for the last wicket between Andre Nel and Makhaya Ntini, with both tail-enders hitting sixes — Nel off Clark and Ntini off leg-spinner Shane Warne.

Justin Langer was the only Australian batsman to fall before the close. Having survived an appeal off the second ball of the innings, when he appeared to glove Ntini down the leg-side to Boucher, he was lbw to Nel for 16.

Matthew Hayden became the ninth Australian to reach 7000 Test runs — and to go past Sir Donald Bradman’s total of 6996 — when he was on 12.

Earlier Hayden held three catches in the gully to take his total of Test catches to 100 in 80 matches.

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