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Symonds out of Twenty20 international

Australia's star all-rounder Andrew Symonds will miss the Twenty20 international against South Africa at the Wanderers because of a hip injury.

Australia's star all-rounder Andrew Symonds will miss the Twenty20 international against South Africa at the Wanderers because of a hip injury.

The Queenslander is also in doubt for Sunday's opening one-dayer against South Africa at Centurion Park.

"Andre Symonds sustained a low grade strain of his left hip flexor muscle at training yesterday," Cricket Australia spokeswoman Belinda Dennett said.

"He's responding well to treatment. However he will be ruled out of the Twenty20 game."

Symonds will continue to receive treatment and a decision is yet to be made on whether he will play in Sunday's one-day international.

Symonds said: "I've only ever missed two games for Australia through injury so I am considerably frustrated."But it won't hold me back for long as I have a great mechanic looking after me in (team physio) Errol Alcott."

Meanwhile, Stuart Clark has put his hand up for the difficult job of bowling at the death in the one-dayers.

In the absence of Australia's regular "iceman" Glenn McGrath for the entire series, fellow NSW paceman Clark is keen to take on the nerve-jangling, often thankless task of bowling the final overs.

The 30-year-old has played only 11 one-day internationals. Sending the ball down from great height with his 197cm tall frame he picked up nine wickets in the just-completed tri-series against South Africa and Sri Lanka.

He earned praise from skipper Ricky Ponting this week and reckons he's an improved performer in the hectic final overs when batters go after the bowling.

It's a job he'd like, but he'll happily play any role as he looks to hold down a role in support of express bowler Brett Lee in Australia's pace attack.

"Look I'd like to be the death bowler. I am getting better at that," Clark said.

"If they want to give me the new ball, I'm happy to do that, or bowl first change.

"If they want me to bowl at the death, I'm happy to do that as well.

"I think being in the team is number one and getting opportunities is the main thing for me."

Clark is determined to make the most of the opportunity presented by the absence of McGrath who has remained home while his wife Jane battles a recurrence of cancer.

"You only get limited opportunities and you have to make the most of them while you're out there," Clark said.

Clark said the Australians were not letting talk of a hostile South African crowd worry them.

"We haven't talked about the crowd at all," he said."It doesn't matter where you go. When we went to New Zealand, the crowd was parochial towards New Zealanders.

"When they (South Africa) come to Australia, the Australian crowd climbs on board for us.

"We are expecting the same here but as far as letting it worry us, well not really. It's part of being an international cricketer.

"It's the same in domestic cricket. Queensland don't like NSW and Western Australia don't like anyone."

Clark said he had heard about South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher's comment to Wisden Cricketer magazine urging fans to give the Australians "a bit of stick".

"It's not going to worry any of us. We're going to just get out there and play cricket and do the right thing by Australia," he said.

"What the crowd do cannot affect our performance -- only if we let it.

"It's not something you really ponder. There's enough going on with worrying about trying to get through 50 overs, without worrying about what people are saying."

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