Donald available again

Allan Donald, South African cricket's prodigal son, should be welcomed back to the fold on Friday afternoon. If he isn't, Rushdie Magiet and his selection panel deserve to have all six of their heads banged together.

Donald took off the South African winter to play for Warwickshire this year. He skipped the three-Test series against Sri Lanka (and passed up a chance to reach 300 Test wickets), a one-tournament against the hated Australians and the shopping trip to Singapore.

On Friday, however, the squad to take part in the ICC knockout tournament in Nairobi next month will be named. It's probably stretching a point to describe the event as the most important thing to happen to South African cricket this year, but everyone will be at this particular party, along with hosts Kenya, and as trophies go, this one is perfectly respectable enough to stick in among the silverware.

Donald, meanwhile, is back under contract from October 1, and while he has little need to prove his credentials again, Kenya provides the perfect opportunity to strap him back in the saddle. Magiet stopped short of confirming Donald's place in the squad earlier this week, but he conceded that Nairobi would be a good place to give the fast bowler a run out before returning home to take on New Zealand.

Indeed, the first one-dayer against the Kiwis is slated for October 20 in Potchefstroom, just five days after the Nairobi final. It would be asking a bit much of South African supporters to send an obviously understrength side off into Africa, especially as Kenya might offer another chance to put one over Australia. The scars of Edgbaston will take a long time to fade.

Magiet said that at the beginning of the year the selectors had seen the indoor series against Australia as the cutoff point from which to start building towards World Cup 2003. At that stage, though, the selectors had been unaware of the ICC tournament. In other words, a reasonable side is likely to travel to Kenya.

The lone injury doubt concerns Mark Boucher and his sliced-up fingers. Boucher is likely to be chosen with Nic Pothas on standby. Given that Nairobi is only a few hours from Johannesburg, getting Pothas to the ground on time should present fewer problems than transporting him from Barbados to Singapore.

Magiet did suggest that South Africa might include two spinners in what is expected to be a 14-man squad. Nicky Boje will clearly be one, but a place could well be found for Derek Crookes whose all-round qualities make him the obvious choice as backup tweaker.

For the rest, Jonty Rhodes should be back again; Roger Telemachus had his best few weeks ever for South Africa in Australia and Singapore; and there will be discussion over Daryll Cullinan's position, especially with Neil McKenzie and Boeta Dippenaar now hanging about the middle order.

Personally, I'd like Dippenaar to be given a run as a Test opener while McKenzie is left down the order. But then I don't get to pick the sides.

Possible squad: Gary Kirsten, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Jonty Rhodes, Lance Klusener, Mark Boucher, Nicky Boje, Shaun Pollock (capt), Allan Donald, Roger Telemachus, Derek Crookes, David Terbrugge, Boeta Dippenaar.