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Cricket
MacGill may partner Warne to torment the Proteas
By Malcolm Conn
SYDNEY, JAN. 1. The soaring temperatures that are fanning Sydney's bushfires are also pushing Stuart MacGill closer to a Test recall, a move that would add an exciting twist to this desperately one-sided series.
On Tuesday Steve Waugh rated the leg-spinner an even- money chance of partnering Shane Warne in the third and final Test against a tormented South Africa, beginning at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday, but when the 12th man is decided, MacGill will be odds on to play.
The afternoon's baking heat will have sapped the remaining green tinge on a surprisingly well-grassed wicket and further encouraged the first signs of cracking.
``I would say it's 50-50 depending on how the wicket comes up in the morning,'' Waugh said of MacGill's chances. ``Stuart deserves a chance. He is a proven performer at this level. He is a big match performer. That's what he gets up for, Test matches. I know he won't let us down if he plays. It is just a matter of getting the balance right.''
Waugh inspected the pitch twice on Tuesday, before and after training. The second time he had a long conversation with Allan Border, the selector on duty, and later was still unsure quite what to expect.
``The pitch is certainly not the same as what we've come to expect from the SCG, there's quite a bit of grass on it and it's pretty hard,'' said Waugh. ``It's difficult to know what to make of it. The soil is a bit different to other grounds around Australia. If it is dry it will probably suit a spinner more than a quick.''
Andy Bichel would be the paceman most likely to make way should MacGill be included.
South Africa may also play two spinners given that Nicky Boje arrived in Sydney on Tuesday after recovering from a knee injury. Captain Shaun Pollock said he was unconcerned that both Boje and Claude Henderson bowled left arm orthodox.
Rudolph may make Test debut
Lance Klusener is expected to be replaced with debutant left-hand batsman Jacques Rudolph now that the out of form all-rounder has decided to return to South Africa for a week to be with his pregnant wife, before coming back to Australia for the one-day series.
MacGill's presence would add another form of torture for the South Africans, who have lost heavily in Adelaide and Melbourne over the past three weeks. It would also be the first time the world's two best genuine leg-spinners have played together at or near their best.
In their previous five matches together Warne was either struggling with a serious bowling shoulder problem or recovering from a major operation to repair it.
``They have not been at their peak together so this will be a good opportunity, if he (MacGill) plays, to prove that two leg-spinners can play together,'' Waugh said.
Certainly Warne gives the impression of looking forward to that challenge. ``I wasn't bowling my best then but there is a good opportunity here, if that is the way that the selectors go with two spinners, we can prove we can
bowl together,'' he said. ``If we do bowl together I'm looking forward to it.''
This is a special Test for Warne and not just because he gets the chance to demolish South Africa again in Sydney, where he has taken 23 wickets at 10.3 against them in two Tests. It was in Sydney 10 years ago where Warne made his inauspicious Test debut, claiming 1-150 against India.
He now has an Australian record 424 wickets at 26.68 and Waugh believes that could stretch to 500 or even 600, a statement which surprised Warne.
``That's a long way off. You don't know what's around the corner. You never want to get too far ahead of yourself. Touch wood, injury free, I suppose it is a realistic chance,'' said Warne.
The teams (likely):
Australia: Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh (captain), Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill, Glenn McGrath. Andy Bichel (probable 12th man).
South Africa: Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Rudolph, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock (captain), Nicky Boje, Claude Henderson, Nantie Hayward.
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