Australia likely to play two spinners - Warne

CAPE TOWN, Mar 15 (Reuters) Shane Warne expects to have a spin twin when he leads Australia's attack into the first test against South Africa in Cape Town tomorrow.

Warne, test cricket's all-time leading wicket-taker with 659 victims, said Cape Town's traditional conditions could prompt Australia to select Stuart MacGill as a second leg-spinner.

''Hopefully, Cape Town will turn square and we will play two spinners, that would be nice,'' Warne told reporters.

''I hope it won't be a flat road again, but I think there's every chance it will be.

''So I would think the chances of us playing two spinners would be pretty high.'' Warne said Australia would miss the experience of stalwart fast bowler Glenn McGrath, who withdrew from the tour after his wife was diagnosed with cancer.

''It's probably one of the less experienced attacks I'll have been a part of,'' Warne said.

''Not having Glenn McGrath with the new ball is a huge loss to me.

''He's one of the best fast bowlers who's ever played the game and he's still one of the best going around at the moment, but all our thoughts are with him at the moment.

''He's got a lot more important things to think about than a game of cricket.'' Warne and McGrath have played 99 tests together, and in those games Warne has taken 490 wickets at an average of 24.62.

In the 36 tests when McGrath was not part of the attack, Warne took 169 wickets at 26.68.

Warne thinks the Australian attack had the depth to overcome McGrath's absence.

''When Glenn and I bowl together we generally do okay, but on the day anyone can bowl well,'' Warne said.

''If Brett Lee is bowling well one day then it's my job to keep it tight at the other end, and vice-versa.

''That's been a key to our success for a very long time so it'll be interesting to see if we can do it again this time.'' EUPHORIA WAVE South Africa go into the test series on a wave of euphoria following their astonishing series-clinching win in the fifth one-day international in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Australia scored a world record 434 for four, but South Africa replied with 438 for nine to win with a ball to spare.

South African coach Mickey Arthur said his team would take the confidence they generated on Sunday into the test series.

''What it has done for us as a team is huge,'' Arthur told a news conference.

''We have talked about playing 'brave' cricket and the guys had to be brave.

''It made us all realise just what could be achieved.'' South Africa recalled discarded left-arm spinner Nicky Boje for the test series after budding off-spinner Johan Botha's action was ruled illegal by the International Cricket Council.

Arthur said the presence of a spinner in the attack was important for more than the obvious reasons.

''Our fast bowlers are feeling the effects of not playing a spinner at times in Australia and they've had a heavy workload,'' he said.

REUTERS AY HS1239