Stuart Clark conquered his nerves and a sleepless night to grab five wickets on debut in an opening day dominated by Australia in the first Test against South Africa.

The 197cm seam bowler took 5-55 to help the tourists skittle South Africa for 205 on a wicket offering assistance to the pacemen.

Australia was 1-63 in reply at stumps, a deficit of 142.

It was an emphatic show of strength by the game's top-ranked side after the embarrassment of conceding a world-record score of 9-438 in last week's deciding one-day international in Johannesburg.

South Africa crumbled to be all out in 63.5 overs at the Newlands ground in Cape Town after skipper Graeme Smith won the toss and batted first, despite the risk of early wickets.

Clark was a surprise inclusion at the expense of leg-spinner Stuart MacGill.

"I only found out at the beginning of the warm-up," said Clark, 30, of his selection.

"There's been a lot of talk about the two-spinner thing.

"I didn't sleep all that well last night. I knew I was a chance to play.

"I was nervous. The wicket was doing a little bit so it was matter of going back to basics and trying to get the ball on the right length."

Ashes reject Michael Kasprowicz (2-44) bowled well in his comeback match, replacing the unavailable Glenn McGrath.

Clark became the first Australian to take five wickets in his debut Test innings since Brett Lee's 5-47 against India at the MCG in December 1999.

Clark claimed key quartet Smith (19), Herschelle Gibbs (18), Jacques Kallis (6) and Mark Boucher (16) and also cut down top-scoring tailender Nicky Boje (31).

Pace spearhead Lee (3-37) dismissed Ashwell Prince (17) and Andrew Hall (24), both snapped up by Matthew Hayden whose diving effort to remove Hall was his third catch of the innings and 100th in Tests.

Lee also claimed Andre Nel (18), ending a stubborn 32-run stand for the 10th wicket with Makhaya Ntini (17 not out), in the highest partnership of a forgettable innings.

A reliable seam bowler in the McGrath mould, Clark has been mentored by Test cricket's leading paceman, who is unavailable for the South African tour because of his wife Jane McGrath's cancer battle.

The Proteas left out leading fast bowler Shaun Pollock because of a back injury and recalled Hall for his first Test since March 2005 in the West Indies.

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