Donald joins South Africa coaching staff

It has been one of the poorer aspects of South African cricket that for some time they have been getting nothing out of their legendary former fast bowler Allan Donald. All that is set to change, however, following his appointment on Sunday as a specialist coach for the high performance programme, alongside the record-breaking batsman and former team-mate, Gary Kirsten.

Donald, who was South Africa's highest wicket-taker with 330 in 72 Tests, has been auctioning his considerable expertise mostly in England with his former county, Warwickshire. But now he will be ploughing his considerable experience back into South African cricket.

"It's not nice working in another country, especially with the talent we have here," Donald said during the first one-day international between South Africa and New Zealand in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

According to Vintcent van der Bijl, the former Natal, Transvaal and Middlesex bowling hero who is now Cricket South Africa's general manager of professional cricket, Donald's role will be "coaching our young aspirants to ensure they are Test-ready".

"I'll be placing an unbelievable emphasis on intensity," Donald said. "The intensity needs to be lifted in our franchises by some notches. It's not true that our conveyor belt of fast bowlers has stopped. We have a list of 15 potential guys who I will be working really hard with. Especially fringe guys like Dale Steyn and Monde Zondeki, they can come up a notch or two."

"We now have a balance between a batting and bowling focus in the high performance programme and it's great to have people who have just come out of the game," Van der Bijl said. "We are delighted that one of the truly great fast bowlers, with all his expertise and, most importantly, Test experience, is joining Gary Kirsten, who has an equally impressive international pedigree. Allan is a master at his trade."