Jacques Kallis ... ready to play in the Boxing Day Test against Australia, which starts tonight (Ja time) in Melbourne. - Reuters
MELBOURNE, (Reuters):
SOUTH AFRICAN batsman Jacques Kallis is expected to overcome a painful elbow injury and play in the second Test against Australia starting tonight (Ja time), though Justin Kemp could miss the game with a shoulder injury.
Kallis, the world's top-ranked batsman, missed the drawn first Test in Perth with the "tennis elbow" injury though he was expected to return for the traditional Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Kemp scored 55 in a match-saving century partnership with Jacques Rudolph on the final day in Perth, with captain Graeme Smith saying it had helped his side with their confidence going into the second Test.
SCARY, DAUNTING TASK
"Australia has always been a scary and daunting task for South African teams," Smith told reporters yesterday.
"The public are very hard on South African touring teams ... I think in the past South Africa have probably had a big fear of failure, whereas I think we have come to terms with that.
"We've really enjoyed our tour of Australia so far ... We have expected a lot of verbal in the papers and a lot of things to be said.
"If anything, they (Australia) have been under more pressure than us going into this Test match."
Smith said Kemp was struggling with an injury to his right shoulder but he was confident of Kallis playing.
"(Kallis) said that he got through yesterday's session fine," added Smith. "He felt it with one or two shots, cross-bat shots."
Kallis's return and Kemp's injury may mean a reprieve for Ashwell Prince in the middle order and left-arm spinner Nicky Boje likely to miss out with MCG curator Tony Ware hinting the pitch was not expected to take much turn.
THIRD OPENING COMBINATION
Australia are using their third opening combination of the season with attacking New South Wales batsman Phil Jaques making his Test debut after Justin Langer was ruled out of the match with a hamstring injury.
Langer missed the first two Tests against West Indies with a broken rib, giving Mike Hussey a Test debut as a makeshift opener.
Hussey dropped down the order when Langer returned and will stay there with the selectors opting for a specialist opener in Jaques to partner Matthew Hayden.
"Boxing Day at Melbourne, the Boxing Day Test, it's a massive day to everyone in Australia and I just can't wait to be involved in it," Jacques said.
