Nearly there

South Africa's Donald backs himself to be fit for first test

ADELAIDE (Reuters) -- South Africa fast bowler Allan Donald has backed himself to get through all five days of the first test against Australia starting Friday despite a string of recent injuries.

Donald, 35, took one for 100 off 25 overs in the drawn tour match against Western Australia where he was troubled by a toe problem.

"I'm nearly there but the confidence to go into a test match against Australia is a different thing. But I've always backed myself and I'll back myself again," said Donald, who has taken a national record 325 wickets in 69 tests.

Donald, who has not played a test since April, has battled influenza and an abdominal injury in recent months. Donald said he was having more problems with his accuracy than his fitness.

"The ball is coming out sweetly, it's just the odd one when you give away a four which breaks a good spell. That's the thing I need to work on right now," he said Tuesday.

"Against Australia you have to bowl quality all the time.

"If the selectors want me to play, the consideration is that I might not have played enough cricket to justify playing in the first test.

"But I'm confident and I'd back myself to do the job if they want me to play. I'd love to play. I'll bowl a bit in the next couple of days and see how it goes."

Donald said he had considered retirement many times in the past six months but, despite illness and injury, he had retained his desire to play on.

"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."

Donald played two first-class games for Orange Free State in October and the tour match against Western Australia this week since his return from injury and illness.

Warne denies rift with MacGill

ADELAIDE, Australia (Reuters) -- Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, the world's most successful slow bowler, said Tuesday there was no rift between himself and fellow leg-spinner Stuart MacGill.

Both have been named in Australia's squad of 12 for Friday's first test against South Africa and since then have been fending off questions about their perceived lack of on-field chemistry.

"There's never been a rift between myself and Stuey," Warne said.

"I don't know where that has come from, I've got no idea."

MacGill, 30, has often been the back-up to Warne, playing mainly in tests when the Victorian leg-spinner was injured.

Last year, MacGill took advantage of Warne's absence due to a finger injury to take 16 wickets in four tests against West Indies in Australia.

However MacGill, who has had several run-ins with authorities over his on-field behaviour, has not played a test since despite an excellent record of 75 wickets at 25.02 in 16 matches. Warne, 32, is fifth on the list of all-time wicket takers in test cricket with 413.

While MacGill has the better record in the five test they've played together (24 wickets to Warne's seven) MacGill said wickets were often created by the bowler at the other end and described Warne as the best spinner of all time.

"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."

Warne also said if Australia played to their best there was no reason why they couldn't beat South Africa three-nil.

"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 three-nil."

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