Australia have added Shane Harwood to their one-day squad for Monday’s crucial fourth game against South Africa in Port Elizabeth.
Brett Geeves, who bowled first-change in Australia’s 25-run loss in Cape Town on Thursday, has been sent home with a fractured foot.
Trailing 2-1 in the five-match series, Australia had been expected to recall seam bowler Ben Laughlin for the must-win game four.
However with Twenty20 specialist Harwood in Cape Town with his Indian Premier League team the Rajasthan Royals this weekend, Australia have taken the opportunity to bring the Victorian new-ball bowler back into their group.
Harwood, 35, played Australia’s two Twenty20 internationals late last month in South Africa before being sent home and wasn’t included in the original squad for the one-day series.
The lively customer has taken three wickets in three T20 internationals but hasn’t played at ODI level.
“He arrived this morning from Cape Town as precautionary cover for this game only,” team spokesman Philip Pope told AAP on Sunday.
“He’ll train with the team this afternoon.
“Stuart Clark will meet us in Johannesburg ahead of the fifth and final one-day international in Johannesburg on Friday.”
Clark, 33, had been recalled to the squad for Geeves after recovering from an elbow complaint which has kept the NSW quick out of international cricket since December.
Harwood will do battle with Queenslander Laughlin for the pace-bowling spot left vacant by Geeves for game four (1800 AEST Monday).
Clark had been expected to join the Australian squad on Sunday but will now link up with the group in Johannesburg.
After watching his side concede 6-289 in Thursday’s game three in Cape Town, captain Ricky Ponting admits he needs more than just Mitch Johnson (4-34) punching holes in South Africa’s middle order.
Nathan Bracken will be a key with the new ball if he can improve on his 1-58 in game three.
“When you win games, you have five or six guys in every game doing that for you, but you can’t rely on two or three,” Ponting told AAP.
“Mitch has always there when I turn to him to take a wicket and generally he has been able to do that.
“We need other guys to have an impact through the innings. We need to be able to bowl a lot of dot balls and keep the batsman on strike for long periods of time.
“We haven’t got that out-and-out strike bowler that we’ve probably had in other years.”
Clark and World Cup winner Brett Lee, who is in Port Elizabeth training with his IPL side Kings XI Punjab, will depart Johannesburg on April 18 with the Australian squad for their one-day series against Pakistan which starts four days later.
Lee, who had ankle surgery in January, met with Australian coach Tim Nielsen on Saturday at their team hotel in Port Elizabeth.
Ponting is welcoming the return of Clark and Lee for the Pakistan series.
“Our overall attack and team are starting to look a lot more experienced than it has been in the past few months,” the skipper said.
“To have those class and quality bowlers back around the group is really good.
“To have Stuey Clark join the squad for the last two games (in South Africa) will be great for him.
“I think he bowled 35 overs in the (Sydney grade) final last weekend so he has got a bit of bowling under his belt.
“It will be a good chance to have a look at him and monitor him and get up close and personal and just see where he is with his game.”
Ponting said the Ashes series in July was crucial in Australia’s planning.
“There is a (bigger) picture to be looked at here with a number of guys, not only Stuey,” Ponting said.
“The idea of Brett being back in the squad is for the exact same reason.”
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