South Africa send out SOS for Donald

South Africa's Allan Donald could yet make it to Melbourne's Colonial Stadium in August for the Super Challenge 2000 series of one-day international matches against Australia, United Cricket Board managing director Ali Bacher confirmed on Monday.

Donald is not in the South African squad currently in Sri Lanka, nor has he been selected for the three Australian games, but if Bacher can persuade Warwickshire to release the ace fast bowler for a week next month, Donald could join his South African team-mates in Melbourne.

"I have spoken to Warwickshire about it," said Bacher. "I hope they see their way clear to releasing Allan. The discussions have been very amicable and there's no question of the UCB inducing Allan to break his contract with Warwickshire. But we'd like to have him available for the Australian games."

Quite why Donald was allowed to commit himself to Warwickshire in a year during which South Africa had a three-Test tour of Sri Lanka scheduled as well as the Melbourne matches is unclear. The commonly-accepted explanation is that there was a misunderstanding between Donald and the South African selectors at the beginning of this year; Donald thought he did not feature in the selectors' plans, the selectors believed he had already committed himself to Warwickshire.

In the fallout from the Hansiegate affair, however, Shaun Pollock's South Africans have keenly felt the absence of Donald in Sri Lanka. As a bowler he would have taken much of the pressure of Pollock who had to shoulder the twin burden of captaincy and strike bowler for the first time during the first Test in Galle last weekend. And as South Africa's senior bowler his input into strategy and selection would have been invaluable.

On Sunday South Africa crashed to an innings and 15-run defeat to Sri Lanka, but the tourists most keenly missed Donald last Thursday and Friday as Sri Lanka amassed 522 in their first and only innings. Quite clearly, both the touring team's management and the UCB have decided that if there is any way to get Donald back in the colours as soon as possible, it will be fully explored.

Donald has already committed himself to South Africa up to and including the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Pollock and Co want him back quicker than that.