AUSTRALIAN paceman Stuart Clark faces an uncertain future and will miss the remainder of the summer if, as expected, he has surgery to remove bone spurs from his bowling elbow.
Clark has carried the injury for months, but succumbed to renewed pain days before the opening match of the crucial Test series against world No. 2 South Africa, in which the reliable paceman's needling bounce was expected to cause problems for the Proteas' batsmen in helpful Perth conditions.
As the selectors summoned Victorian paceman Peter Siddle to Perth as a replacement, a dejected Clark conceded that surgery, which is the most likely course of action, would probably rule him out for the season. While he is said to be determined to make a successful comeback, this cannot be taken for granted, given his age - 33 - and the delicate nature of the condition for a fast bowler.
Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris was confident, though not certain, Clark would return to top-flight cricket if surgery was required. "With anyone who has surgery there is always a risk that things can go wrong or take longer than expected," he said. "It's really up in the air. To be honest, until they go in and see how much damage there is and what's going on, it's pretty hard to say what the prognosis is. I would expect that he would come back and play and be right to go. Others have had similar surgery in the past and done well, so there's no reason for him to be any different."
An operation would likely keep Clark from bowling for six weeks, but a complete recovery could take another month, bringing Australia's autumn tour of South Africa into the picture for a possible comeback.
Only four Australian pacemen have bowled past the age of 35 - Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Jeff Thomson and Glenn McGrath.
"It's no secret that I have had a bad elbow for a while. It's flared up. It's not acceptable to play," Clark said.
"I think it's a throwing issue that has just got worse over time. It's something that hasn't affected me until recently, until, I suppose, the Indian series.
"I've got to go back to Sydney or Melbourne and get the [surgery] process rolling. I hope there's another scenario but I don't really know. I thought it was getting better. Obviously, it's not."
Clark privately conceded last week that his elbow was causing pain and was a "day-to-day proposition", but both he and team medical staff were confident the condition was manageable until a net session at the SCG last Friday.
It was there Clark experienced the sharp pain in his bowling elbow and after another aborted training session in Perth yesterday, it was decided to send him home.
Elbow impingement, also known as bone spurs, is relatively common among baseballers and tennis players, and not completely foreign to cricket. Clark first experienced pain while throwing in the outfield but in recent months the bone spurs have affected his bowling.
"His elbow has been sore for three or four months now … but it's been manageable to this point," Kountouris said. "It's got to the point now where we need to make a long-term decision and I think the right decision is that he doesn't play in this game and get an expert opinion.
"It's hard to [estimate recovery time] until they go in and have a look. He might have one little spur, he might have five big spurs … Typically with surgery it's a minimum of six weeks. If he has surgery you won't see him in this series."
Yesterday's withdrawal capped an emotional week for Clark, during which his wife, Michelle, gave birth to the couple's second child, Sophie. Clark missed the second Test in India due to the elbow injury and saw a specialist before the first Test against New Zealand last month.
Clark, who is 10 victims away from 100 Test wickets and has a wonderful record against the Proteas, was understandably distraught to miss the heavyweight clash.
"Playing South Africa in this Test match and the two best Test matches of the year in Sydney and Melbourne against the second-best team, and we're the number one team, what can you say?"
Clark was not the only Australian casualty from yesterday's training session. Captain Ricky Ponting and vice-captain Michael Clarke were struck while batting in the nets. Neither are in doubt for the first Test.