In a move that smacks ominously of desperation, left-arm spinner Nicky Boje is to fly to Australia on Monday at the request of the South African selectors "to give them an extra option as a spinner" ahead of the third Test in Sydney which starts on Wednesday.

Boje was an original selection for the tour, but was forced to withdraw with a knee injury, thereby opening up a place in the squad for Claude Henderson. It now appears as though the beleaguered South Africans intend to play two spinners in Sydney, although whether Boje will be in any condition to play a Test match after arriving in Australia on New Year's Day is a moot point.

Quite why the South Africans have left it to this late stage to send for Boje is a mystery. They must have been aware that Sydney traditionally assists spin bowlers – Shane Warne has taken 23 wickets in two Tests against South Africa at the SCG – and if the intention is to play both Henderson and Boje, the selectors might well have given Boje a little more advance notice.

Since withdrawing from the Test phase of the Australian tour, Boje has played only one-day cricket, bowling with limited success. In four outings for Free State in December he has taken just one wicket.

South Africa's other alternatives are Justin Ontong and Jacques Rudolph. Ontong mixes up leg-breaks and off-breaks while Rudolph is an occasional leg-spinner. In normal circumstances neither would be seriously considered for Test cricket on the strength of their bowling, but circumstances in Australia may well prompt a second look at either or both of them.

In fact, with Lance Klusener in dreadful form and Boeta Dippenaar hitting too many catches for his own good, there is an argument for playing both Ontong and Rudolph in Sydney. Whether the South Africans will be bold enough to take what would be a drastic step remains to be seen.

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