Coach Tim Nielsen has signalled that Stuart Clark will find it tough to break back into the Australian Test side while Peter Siddle remains fit and firing.

Nielsen’s comments followed the decision to play Ben Hilfenhaus instead of the veteran seamer in the opening Ashes clash in Cardiff.

Clark, who turns 34 in September, has the very impressive Test record of 90 wickets at 22.96 in 22 matches and was considered indispensable as recently as last summer.

But Nielsen believes that Clark and Siddle do a similar job and the coach is a big fan of the young Victorian.

“They’re both very similar bowlers and tend to hit the wicket hard and come into the right-handers,” Nielsen said.

“I think it’s pretty obvious how I feel about Siddle and I’ve said that in the past.”

The problem for Clark is that Siddle is quicker and younger – even if he isn’t as accurate.

Clark played his last Test against New Zealand in Adelaide in November before succumbing to an elbow complaint just before the first Test against South Africa in Perth a fortnight later.

He had to have surgery on it during the Australian summer and it flared up again before he returned to national colours by earning a call-up for Australia’s limited-overs series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

In that time out he missed the entire home and away Test series against the Proteas and watched on as Mitchell Johnson and Siddle came of age.

The Australian brains trust have clearly found something they liked in the fact that Johnson, Siddle and Hilfenhaus are contrasting bowlers.

“Ben takes the ball away from the right-handers which was a major reason for his selection,” said Nielsen.

“We were probably looking for three bowlers that did things a little bit differently.”

Clark, Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the last Ashes series, played in both warm-up matches to the Sophia Gardens Test and produced solid rather than spectacular results.

It had been thought he would be the third seamer selected after Brett Lee was ruled out with a side strain but Hilfenhaus received the call up for his fourth straight Test.

The Tasmanian, who was not as successful as his pace bowling teammates in South Africa, was the pick of the bowlers on the opening day in Cardiff.

He managed to swing the ball all day in Wales and deserved better figures than 2-61.

Clark has been a fine contributor for Australia since he made his Test debut in early 2006 and must remain patient as there is also a chance of Australia playing spinner Nathan Hauritz in next week’s second Test at Lord’s.

And after that, there is a possibility that Brett Lee may be back in consideration for the third Test in Birmingham as well.

© AAP 2012

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