Sydney, Dec 15 : The withdrawal of Australian pace bowler Stuart Clark from the three-Test series has provided a huge boost for South Africa, but coach Mickey Arthur has warned his batsmen of the dangers of complacency against an attack that still features Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson.

The Proteas had identified Clark as Australia's main pace weapon, and with good reason, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The 33-year-old shredded the South Africans in his debut series, taking 20 wickets at 15.85 in three Tests and removing Jacques Kallis on four occasions.

Sydney, Dec 15 : Injured Australian fast bowler Stuart Clark can learn from the experiences of former state and national teammate Stuart MacGill as he faces the prospect of elbow surgery that may bring his career to an end.

MacGill twice went under the knife to have bone spurs removed from his bowling elbow and returned to international competition on both occasions, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Karachi, Dec. 15 : Pakistan's chief cricket selector and former leg spinner Abdul Qadir has said that India should tour his country and not deprive cricket fans across the globe of an enthralling contest.

Qadir told reporters here at the National Stadium on the sidelined of the Pentangular One-day Championship that no matches in international cricket ignite more passion and emotions than the Pakistan-India encounters.

Melbourne, Dec. 14 : Australian cricket coach Tim Nielsen has wasted little time in taking the attack to the South Africans.

Nielsen said his side was fiercely proud of its intimidating home record - unbeaten in a Test series since 1992-93 - and would ensure the South Africans did not have a comfortable time of it leading into the first Test, which starts on Wednesday.

"It''s about us making sure that when people come to Australia, they can''t just walk into here and expect to have it all their own way," Nielsen said.

Melbourne, Dec. 14 : Former South African star Daryll Cullinan says Australia ''should still be favoured to beat South Africa in the forthcoming home series.

Cullinan has predicted that Proteas will lose its seventh consecutive series to Australia - even in the absence of his nemesis, Shane Warne.

Cullinan said that even without Warne''s wizardry - and despite coming off a 2-0 series defeat in India - Australia remained cricket''s world leader.

"I think they''re a highly competitive side and at home they''re going to be tough to beat. They''re still right up there as world champions. Australia is still the team that everyone wants to beat, whether you play them at home or away," Fox Sports quoted him, as saying.

Karachi, Dec. 14 : Former Pakistan cricket captain Rameez Raja has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to stop pleading with the Indian team to tour Pakistan.

"What I say is whatever happens, the Pakistan board should stop pleading teams to tour. It is high time the board started revenue generating tournaments domestically to be self sufficient," Raja said.

"I am not very hopeful of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side getting the clearance to tour Pakistan in the aftermath of Indian Sports Minister MS Gill's comments," The News reported him as saying.

Gill had earlier said that it was not a time to indulge in sporting activities with Pakistan after the Mumbai massacre.