Kallis hoping to make Melbourne Test

December 23, 2005 17:11 IST

South Africa's Jacques Kallis is still recovering from an elbow injury but is hopeful of playing in the second test against Australia starting on Monday.

Kallis, the world's top-ranked batsman, did not play in the drawn first test in Perth.

"I had my first sort of full-blooded throw-downs today and it's coming along," Kallis told reporters at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.

"Hopefully I'll have a bat tomorrow and the next day. I'm pretty confident that I'll be 100 percent fit."

Kallis felt the result in Perth where they batted

for four sessions to save the test had given the South Africans a boost.

"It does give the guys a lot of confidence going into the next few test matches," Kallis said.

Australia batsman Phil Jaques, who is expected to make his test debut on Monday after being drafted in for the injured Justin Langer, said his side still felt confident of winning the series despite the South Africans' defiance in Perth.

"The first test's down now and we're focusing really hard on Melbourne and we're trying to get the result here in a pretty crucial test match," he added.

Source: REUTERS
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