Tall challenge for Morkel

Dale Steyn has grabbed the headlines so far on the tour, but it will be another promising fast bowler who will look to make a mark when the South Africans play their warm-up one-dayer against Western Australia in Perth.

Morne Morkel's height, at 2.01m, could prove quite a handful if there is bounce in the strip at the WACA in the first Test from next Thursday. And South Africa want Morkel, who has struggled with his rhythm in recent series, to fire in their quest for a maiden series win in Australia.

"He has a lot of pace and he brings bounce into the game, which is his weapon," AB de Villiers said of his team-mate in the Australian. "He's a very tall oak. He has a lot of talent, a lot of skill and if he hits his form, he will be quite a handful.

"He's one of the tougher guys in the nets to face. He feels quicker [than Steyn] but it's probably because of his bounce. He slots in between the 140s and 150s [kph] consistently. He's pretty quick and physically strong."

Mickey Arthur, the coach, believed Morkel's addition rounded off a well-balanced pace attack. "For so long South Africa was criticised for having a sameness to their attack," he said. "When Graeme [Smith] and I decided on a brand of cricket we wanted to play two years ago, we looked for something different.

"You've got Makhaya [Ntini] who bowls wide of the crease, you've got Dale who is really quick through the air, swings it out and is skiddy, and you've got Morne, who is very sharp and gets a lot of bounce. There's nothing the same about our three quicks, which is definitely an advantage."

The hype, though, is on Steyn, who comes to Australia with 60 wickets in 11 Tests at 19.41 in 2008. Morkel, however, has a backer in Allan Donald, the former South Africa fast bowler.

"It is scary that he is as good as he is after a handful of Tests," Donald told SA Cricket magazine. "If he's not put under unnecessary pressure and is managed well, he'll surpass anything I achieved in my career.

"We haven't even come close to seeing his best yet and I can't wait for him to start dominating batting attacks. Manage him well and he could dominate world cricket."

Morkel admitted his accuracy had been off in the past in the quest to pick up wickets. "My role in the team has been clearly defined and that's as a strike bowler who looks to do something special in a short spell," he said. "Graeme Smith would often throw the ball to me and give me a licence to bowl as quickly as I possibly could. That sometimes meant I sacrificed accuracy for speed."