Reuters
Australia's Stuart Clark (right) celebrates after dismissing England's captain Andrew Flintoff (left) during the third day of the fourth Ashes cricket Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters):

As the careers of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath prepare to disappear into the sunset, Australia's players were united in hailing Stuart Clark the heir apparent as the team's most influential strike bowler.

The 31-year-old Clark has been a model of consistency in his first Ashes series, taking 21 wickets to equal Warne as the most prolific bowler on either side in Australia's surge to a 4-0 lead.

His unerring accuracy and bounce derived from his lofty 197cm frame has put England's batsmen under intense pressure.

The former real estate agent is set to spearhead the Australian attack once McGrath and Warne retire after the final Test starting in Sydney on Tuesday.

"I wish I had a dollar for every time he went past my outside edge because I'd probably own an island somewhere," teammate Mike Hussey told reporters yesterday.

Fine bowler

"He's been a very fine bowler for a long time. I was always confident he would perform once he got to play for Australia.

"He's experienced and unflappable. He's not affected by pressure too much and has a clear mind about what he's trying to do. His job is to keep chucking it into that area and he's getting the right results."

Although first handed a Cricket Australia contract in the 2001-2 season, a series of injuries and fierce competition for places meant he only made his Test bow aged 30 in Cape Town in March.

But he quickly proved his pedigree with a player of the series nod against the South Africans after taking 20 wickets in the series at 15.75.

"He's just asking a question of blokes every ball, a bit like McGrath," said skipper Ricky Ponting.

"He's just bowling the ball in that nasty area and putting the batsman under pressure all the time."