Clark could not have hoped for a better start to a Test career

Stuart Clark took 5-55 in a brilliant debut performance as Australia's seam bowlers struck gold on the first day of the first Test against South Africa.

At stumps, the Aussies were on top at 63-1 replying to South Africa's 205.

Clark, playing his first Test at 30, had the key wickets of Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis.

Matthew Hayden took his 100th catch and then became the ninth Australian to pass 7,000 runs in Tests, moving ahead of the great Sir Donald Bradman.

South African captain Graeme Smith's decision to bat first after winning the toss on a gloomy morning looked like it might prove to be a costly error.

It is a dream come true, a bit of a surreal experience Stuart Clark

There was moisture in the wicket to start with, and the conditions persuaded Australia to go in with four seamers, consigning spinner Stuart MacGill to 12th man duties.

But by the time the Aussies came out to bat after tea, the clouds had shifted and batting was a less difficult prospect.

Four wickets fell in each of the first two sessions.

AB de Villiers did not last long, bowled in the 10th over by Michael Kasprowicz as he drove loosely at a full-length delivery.

Justin Langer column

Skipper Smith was the next to go, edging Clark behind, before South Africa suffered a hammer blow when Kallis played a square cut straight to Hayden at gully.

Gibbs was hanging on grimly, but not even he could last until lunch, and Clark bowled him with a brilliant delivery pitching on middle-and-off before taking the top of off stump.

The first man to fall in the middle session was Jacques Rudolph.

He had just hit Kasprowicz for two encouraging boundaries before suffering some outrageous misfortune next ball.

Rudolph edged Kasprowicz straight to Shane Warne at first slip, who dropped the ball and fell over.

Unexpectedly, Nicky Boje was the top scorer for South Africa

But he managed to kick the ball skywards before hitting the deck for Adam Gilchrist to complete a bizarre catch.

Mark Boucher joined the procession of South African batsmen reaching the teens without progressing when nicking Clark behind, Gilchrist diving to take an excellent catch.

Then Ashwell Prince gave Hayden another catch in the gully to give Brett Lee his first wicket and leave South Africa on 124-7.

The Lee-Hayden combination also accounted for Andrew Hall (24) - Hayden taking his 100th Test catch in the process.

Nicky Boje, South Africa's top-scorer with 31, hit a flurry of boundaries either side of tea to help the hosts past the 200-mark.

But if Australia were frustrated at failing to capitalise fully on the earlier in-roads, it was soon forgotten when Hayden came out to bat.

The big left-hander, who started with supreme patience, ended the day unbeaten on 22, with Ricky Ponting 20.

South Africa's only success was the dismissal of Justin Langer for 16 - a debatable lbw decision that earned Andre Nel a wicket.

Clark said of his first taste of Test cricket: "Every kid grows up wanting to play for Australia and this was a dream come true.