Clive Eksteen recalled

PORT ELIZABETH, FEBRUARY 7: Veteran left-arm spinner Clive Eksteen was recalled on Monday to the South African team for the two-Tests -- M...

PORT ELIZABETH, FEBRUARY 7: Veteran left-arm spinner Clive Eksteen was recalled on Monday to the South African team for the two-Tests 8212; Mumbai and Bangalore 8212; on the tour of India starting next week.

Eksteen, 33, played the last of his six Tests more than four years ago. An orthodox spin bowler, he was picked as back-up to left-arm wrist spinner Paul Adams, who is recovering from a broken left middle finger.

Adams suffered the injury when he crashed into a boundary board during the fifth and final Test against England at Centurion Park on January 18. He has been receiving intensive treatment in an effort to get fit for the first Test starting in Mumbai on Feb 24.

The fitness of Adams will be assessed before the team leaves on Feb 16. Selection convenor Rushdi Magiet said: 8220;We are confident Adams will be able to play, but we can8217;t be 100 percent sure at this stage. We went for Eksteen as the most experienced spinner and the man we believe is best suited to the particular conditions inIndia.8221;

Eksteen was discarded by the South African selectors when he failed to make a breakthrough during the second Test against England in Johannesburg in 1995-96 when Mike Atherton batted for more than 10 hours to save the match for England after it had seemed South Africa were headed for victory.

Eksteen and fast bowler Allan Donald are the only players in the party who toured India in November 1991 when South Africa made their comeback to international cricket with a three-match limited overs tour.

Eksteen has been one of the most consistent wicket-takers in South African domestic cricket and captained Gauteng to the provincial first class title this season.

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Donald, who withdrew from the fifth Test against England because of gout, is included together with the 11 players who played at Centurion. They include Pieter Strydom, the Border captain, who made his Test debut at Centurion following an injury to Jonty Rhodes, who was not available for the tour of India because his wife Kate is expectingthe couple8217;s first child.

Eksteen and Free State batsman Hendrik Boeta8217; Dippenaar, who played in two Tests against Zimbabwe earlier this season, have been added to the squad.

Andre Abrahams, a promising 19-year-old leg-spinner from Free State, will accompany the side but will not play in the matches.

Magiet said he was confident the team would do well. 8220;Eksteen strengthens the spin attack and we have a full-strength fast bowling attack with Donald coming back into the side. The batting will be strengthened by the return of Cullinan and Gary Kirsten, who are not playing in the current One-Day International series.8221;

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There will be changes to the squad for five one-day matches which follow the Tests. Donald, Daryll Cullinan, Dippenaar and probably Eksteen will return home and four additional players will fly out. The replacements will be named after South Africa have played in a triangular series final against either England or Zimbabwe in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The South AfricanSquad

The squad, with ages and Test caps:

Hansie Cronje capt, age 30, 66 caps
Shaun Pollock vice-capt, 26, 40
Gary Kirsten 32, 58
Herschelle Gibbs 26, 19
Jacques Kallis 24, 34
Daryll Cullinan 32, 55
Pieter Strydom 30, 1
Lance Klusener 28, 27
Mark Boucher 23, 26
Allan Donald 33, 60
Paul Adams 23, 30
Mornantau Hayward 23, 3
Hendrik Dippenaar 22, 2
Clive Eksteen 33, 6

Manager: Goolam Rajah
Coach: Graham Ford