FORMER Hampshire batsman Michael Clarke's meteoric start to life in the Test arena continued at the weekend.

The man who spent most of last summer playing at the Rose Bowl struck a sparkling 151 on his Australian Test debut in India seven weeks ago.

And on Saturday he became only the third Australian in history to reach three figures in his first Test home and away with 141 at The Gabba against New Zealand.

Clarke's superb innings helped turn the Test Australia's way after New Zealand had enjoyed the better of the opening two days.

Helped by a 100-run stand for the last wicket between Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie, Australia wrested the initiative away from the Kiwis.

And they completed a remarkable win yesterday when they skittled New Zealand out for just 76 in their second innings to win by an innings and 156 runs.

Clarke, 23, is now averaging 67.62 after plundering 541 runs in his first five Tests.

"That's (scoring a hundred and winning the man of the match award) very special," said Clarke, who brought up his hundred off the last ball before lunch on Saturday.

Talking of his two Test tons, he added: "They were very different circumstances. They're both as special as each other.

"If I could play anywhere in the world I would always play in front of my home crowd. Facing spin and fast bowlers doesn't really bother me. I hope I can continue playing well, no matter what I'm facing.

"There's going to be down times, I know and expect that. At the moment I've had a bit of luck and I've been playing pretty well, so hopefully that can continue.

"But I know there are going to be times when I'm going to get a duck and I'm going to get no runs. I just want to continue making the most of the good times."

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell, now a forthright television commentator, warns against unfair expectations of Clarke's fledgling international career.

"It's important for Clarke not to get too down if he gets a duck or a low score," Chappell said. "He is playing with a lot of confidence but he will fail at some stage because the game is a great leveler.

"The main thing is that he keeps learning. He is a star already and it's going to be a lot of fun watching his career unfold."

Apart from Clarke, the only other Aussies to score centuries on their home and away Test debuts are Kepler Wessels at The Gabba and Kandy (Sri Lanka) in 1982-83 and Harry Graham at Lord's in 1893 and Sydney in 1894-95.

SIMON KATICH, who has starred for Hampshire in each of the last two seasons, was in impressive form Down Under at the weekend.

Left out of the Test side to face New Zealand, Katich struck 92 as his New South Wales side defeated Victoria by five wickets in the one-day ING Cup.

Needing 246 to win, NSW sufferred a mini-collapse once Katich fell as they lost three wickets for four runs late in the game. But Shawn Bradstreet smashed 26 from 17 and sealed the victory with a six off the final ball.

Katich said he was under pressure to perform after last week expressing his frustration at being axed from the Test squad.

"I was definitely nervous today because I knew a lot of people would be viewing to see how I went, particularly after what I said last week," said Katich. "But I was lucky to be able to back it up."

Katich could well win a recall for the second Test against the Kiwis as Darren Lehmann, the player preferred to Katich in Brisbane, scored only eight.