SYDNEY, Dec 19: Allan Donald will get a hit-out in the four-day tour game against New South Wales starting Thursday to prove his fitness for South Africa’s make-or-break second Test with Australia in Melbourne next week.

Donald’s firepower was sorely missed when the Proteas were humiliated by 246 runs by Steve Waugh’s Australians in the opening Test in Adelaide Tuesday.

Donald, 35 and out of Test cricket for more than six months, is not the force he once was, but his experience is seen as vital to give South Africa some authority with the new-ball, which was lacking in Adelaide.

“It’s a nice opportunity to have a look a few guys and give them a run and see how they go,” captain Shaun Pollock said Wednesday.

“Donald is being continually monitored, he hasn’t played much cricket before he came on the tour so we have to use his performances as a gauge of whether to play him.”

Donald says a lack of bowling at the highest level has made it hard to “hit the right areas” on the pitch.

“I think I’m still bowling sharpish — the ball’s coming out sweetly,” he said.

“But against the Aussies you’re going to have bowl quality all the time — it’s just that odd ball when you give away four that breaks a good spell or a good over.

“That’s the thing I’ve got to work on right now.”

For the NSW match, South Africa will rotate in the four players who sat out the Test.

The other player pushing for selection in Melbourne is top order batsman Jacques Rudolph, who will get another to press for a Test spot after Boeta Dippenaar made two low scores in Adelaide.

Teams:

NSW (from): Michael Bevan (captain), Michael Slater, Greg Mail, Michael Clarke, Brett Van Deinsen, Mark Higgs, Brad Haddin, Stuart MacGill, Anthony Clark, Shawn Bradstreet, Nathan Bracken, Don Nash.

South Africa (likely): Shaun Pollock (captain), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Rudolph, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Lance Klusener, Mark Boucher, Justin Ontong, Makhaya Ntini, Allan Donald, Steve Elworthy.—AFP