Michael Clarke and Simon Katich helped Australia recover from a desperate start in the First Test against South Africa at the WACA.

Vice-captain Clarke and opener Katich had come together at 15 for three and rebuilt the innings with a 149-run partnership in Perth today.

But the pair fell in the third-last and second-last overs before tea, with the Aussies ending the session on 172 for five.

Katich missed a full toss from Morne Morkel and was judged lbw for 83.

Two runs later, Clarke holed out to mid-on for 62 with a poor shot off spinner Paul Harris.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting won the toss on a pitch that had little grass cover but was expected to be lively for pace bowlers in the opening session.

Ponting's plan for a solid start backfired when Makhaya Ntini dismissed Matthew Hayden for 12 and the skipper for a duck, both of whom were caught in the slips off consecutive balls in the third over.

Ponting, who had labelled South Africa's quicks "unproven" in Australian conditions, pushed hard at the ball and his duck left his side in early trouble.

Then Dale Steyn, Test cricket's leading wicket-taker this year, grabbed his 61st victim of 2008 when he had Mike Hussey caught at third slip by a diving AB de Villiers in the sixth over.

Australia named Shane Watson as 12th man, leaving Brett Lee as the only frontline bowler in the side with more than 20 Tests to his credit. South Africa included batsman Jean-Paul Duminy, 24, for his Test debut after vice-captain Ashwell Prince withdrew with a fractured thumb.