JOHANNESBURG, March 8: Monde Zondeki and Andre Nel have been recalled to the South African attack in place of rested strike duo Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini for the second test against Zimbabwe starting at Centurion on Friday.

Pollock and Ntini will miss the match after a gruelling season in which they shared a heavy workload in the five Tests and seven one-day internationals against England from December to February.

The pair have been South Africa's main strike bowlers for the last three seasons and the selectors have opted to rest them against a Zimbabwe team that was bowled out for 54 in the first innings of the first test in Cape Town and lost within two days.

Zondeki was recalled to the South African team for the first time in 18 months for the third and final one-day international against Zimbabwe on March 2 and showed enough pace and aggression to earn a second test call up.

Nel played his last test in the fifth test against England at Centurion in January and celebrated his return after an absence of a year by taking six for 81 in the first innings. Ntini has appeared in every one of South Africa's last 36 tests, stretching back to the first test against Australia at the Wanderers in February 2002.

Pollock only bowled five overs in the Zimbabwe second innings last Saturday and South African media manager Gerald de Kock says he was being troubled by an ankle injury. "It was due to a painful left ankle. He will consult a specialist on Wednesday to determine the extent of the injury," De Kock said on Tuesday.

TEAM: Graeme Smith (captain), AB de Villiers, Jacques Rudolph, Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, Nicky Boje, Monde Zondeki, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel. -Reuters