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1. Donald has toe injury: Warne welcomes MacGill
December 11, 2001
ADELAIDE (AFP) -- South Africa's Allan Donald is concerned his fast bowling has not been fine-tuned after a lengthy absence ahead of Friday'sng cricket Test with Australia at Adelaide Oval.
Donald, 35 and out of Test cricket for more than six months, does not believe his big-toe injury will keep him out of theng round of the world championship showdown. He says his bowling hasn't been fine-tuned and "It's not all there."
Donald lost valuable preparation time because of a toe injury sustained during a four-day game against Western Australia in Perth last weekend. He said the injury, caused by a new pair of boots, should heal in time. "All the hype about the toe and the boot and all that is a load of rubbish to be honest," he said.
He said his old boots were being fetched from the republic for the Adelaide Test and should arrive by Thursday. But he is worried about his bowling rhythm and his confidence. "I'm nearly there but the confidence to go into a Test at the Adelaide Oval against the Aussies is a different thing," said Donald on Tuesday.
"But I've always backed myself. I've backed my ability in the past and I can do that again. Obviously, the consideration for me is that I haven't played enough cricket to justify playing in the first Test but I'm confident enough to back myself to do a job for South Africa."
Donald said a lack of bowling at the highest level made it hard to 'hit the right areas' on the pitch. "I think I'm still bowling sharpish -- the ball's coming out sweetly. But against the Aussies you're going to have bowl quality all the time -- it's just that odd ball when you give away four that breaks a good spell or a good over. That's the thing I've got to work on right now."
Asked if two days before the Test was enough to hone his bowling skills Donald replied: "I reckon I could do that -- if they want to me play. I'd love to play -- I'll bowl a bit in the next couple of days and see how it goes."
Donald was grateful he still had the desire to play after a run of illness and injury. "I'm very happy my hunger hasn't deserted me," he said. "I think that I'm more focused and up to the challenge than I have been for a number of seasons. It's fair to say that I've had a bit of a shocker for the past two years -- I've had illnesses and a lot of bad luck -- little things that kept me out of the game."
WARNE DENIES RIFT: Shane Warne says he has no problems playing in the same Test team as legspin rival Stuart MacGill. Warne said he and MacGill, who has been recalled to the Australian squad , got along well and always had.
"Certain people seem to think there's some big rift between myself and Stuey," Warne said at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday. "I don't know where that has come from, I've got no idea.
"There's never been a rift between myself and Stuey. We've always got along, we've toured together a few times and we've also been out to dinner a few times, shared a drink after a match, so I get along well with Stuey. We've helped each other out with a few things, there's no drama whatsoever."
Warne was confident the pair could bowl in tandem with success, despite figures from their five Tests together indicating otherwise. MacGill took 24 wickets in those five matches while Warne took just seven, way below his normal return of 4.3 wickets per match.
"The Test matches we played together, my first few back were straight after my major shoulder operation so I probably wasn't anywhere near my best and Stuey played well in a few games," Warne said. "So I'd like to think it could work, whether it works this Test match, the next one or whenever."
It's not yet known whether MacGill will play in the Adelaide Test as the starting team is unlikely to be named until just before the start Friday morning. But Australia hasn't used more than one spinner in a Test for two years.
Warne, who admitted his record in Adelaide was disappointing, said Australia w Ould be helped by its mental dominance over the Proteas in recent years. "The mental side, we've definitely got that over South Africa," he said. "There's been a lot of talk that South Africa can beat us this series but I think that if we play to the best that we have been playing, then I think there's no reason we can't win 3-0."
Warne also said South Africa would rely heavily on captain Shaun Pollock to take their wickets. "If Shaun Pollock doesn't bowl well then I think our batters will make some big runs, if he bowls well then it could be hard," he said.