Will Lee be Left in the Dark?

Australia stamped their authority on their opening tour match with Sussex, closing the day on 18 for 0, after bowling their opponents out for 311 earlier in the day.

The tourists have opened up a lead of 56 runs ahead of the third day’s play, after declaring over night on 349-7.

Phil Hughes was left unbeaten on 17, while his partner Simon Katich was unable to get off the mark during his 17 deliveries.

After getting a good look at their impressive batting line-up on the first day, it was today the turn of the Australian bowlers to attempt to turn the match in the away side’s direction.

Stuart Clark and Brett Lee each took three wickets, with Lee taking the prized wicket of the big hitting Luke Wright to leave Sussex at 151 for 6.

But Australia let their opponents back into the match when they simply had no right, as the County Championship side piled on another 160 runs for the final 4 wickets.

Andrew Hodd and Robin Martin-Jenkins put on an 86 run partnership at the back end of the innings to start the re-build, after Chris Nash has earlier top scored with 45.

Wicket keeper Hodd made 45, but the real day belonged to the pace attack of Lee and Clark who showed their Ashes Opponents they’d lost none of their threat from the previous Ashes series of 2006/07.

Clark really made his burst onto the international scene on the tour to South Africa in 2006 taking 20 wickets in the three match series.

After a baron series in Bangladesh, he went into his first Ashes series as a unknown quantity, and to his advantage as he took 26 wickets to wow the cricketing world.

Two years on and Clark is now no-longer first choice with the international team after a drop in form, and an unfortunate elbow injury.

He’s since got back to full fitness and form after playing club cricket in the United Arab Emirates, and his inclusion in this Ashes squad is sure to strike fear into the England top order.

Clark hasn’t played a test match at all this year because of injury and another player who has suffered the same fait is Brett Lee who also took three wickets at Hove today.

Lee’s ankle injury has restricted his time in the test team since the Boxing Day test against South Africa.

The usually hostile Lee, banging the ball in at 90mph is a forgone memory in Australia and across the world, and after the selection of the two and not Mitchell Johnson in this side, proves that’s it’s a straight fight between the two for that final fast bowler position.

After today’s performance both players seem poles apart.

Clakr bolwed with intent and accuracy, while Lee relied on his immense pace to knock over the top men from Sussex, only for him to overstep four times in his first five over spell.

Yes he did take wickets at the back end of the day, and same number as Clark it must be added, but never could you put the two in the same breath in this particular showing.

Ricky Ponting has a difficult decision to make ahead of that first test, in which he is expected to field both Nathan Hauritz and part timer Marcus North in the side.

Does he go in with an in-experienced attack, into conditions, which Peter Siddle, Johnson and Clark have rarely experienced?

Or does he field the experienced pace-man whose record in England is less than impressive.

I mentioned earlier how Lee showed he’s lost nothing from the Ashes in 2006/07, which is true he did help turn the tide during today’s play, but does his previous record in England maybe pave the way for the new bread to take the Ashes by the scruff of the neck?

Lee has taken an average of less than 3 wickets a match during his two tours to England, and has on three occasions gone for more than 100 runs in an innings.

He showed his lack of fizz in the last series here going for 193, 160 and 182 during the matches at Edgbaston, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge respectively.

Will today’s performance have given Ponting food for thought? Or just hammered home the fact that Lee offers very little to the Australian pace attack that it doesn’t already have.