Limited overs champions the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins continue their campaign for a second trophy when they host Gauteng in a SuperSport Shield game at Kingsmead from Friday.

Having drawn with them in the corresponding fixture at the Wanderers, Natal trail Gauteng by 6.7 points in the log, but have a game in hand. Griqualand West currently top the SuperSport Shield standings with 34.8 points from three matches, while Natal have 17.3 points from two games.

The embattled Gauteng team are just coming off a home loss to Griquas and internal wrangling over star all-rounder Andrew Hall, so Natal will want to milk as many points as possible off them to put them within striking distance of Griquas, who they play in the final Shield game, in Kimberley from March 16-18.

According to Gauteng selection convenor Barry Skjoldhammer, Hall went AWOL last week, missing practices and the match against Griquas, and has been reported to the United Cricket Board, under whom he is contracted, and dropped from the Highveld Strikers squad.

Hall claims he went to ground with an injury - a bruised rotator cuff of the right shoulder - and that he had made calls to Gauteng coach Mark O'Donnell, cricket manager Ken Rutherford and SA manager Goolam Rajah (Hall is one of the standby players for the West Indies tour) confirming his unavailability.

Natal have no such problems with their international stars, with Jonty Rhodes named in the 12-man squad for Friday's match. Spinner Robbie MacQueen and paceman Andrew Tweedie, two of the stars of the Natal B team, are the surprise call-ups to the squad.

With hot weather baking the Kingsmead ground this week, the pitch is expected to be so unhelpful to seamers that Natal will play two spinners, MacQueen and Gulam Bodi.

All-rounder Jon Kent has been named in the Natal 12, but it is unlikely that he will play due to the calf muscle injury he sustained in the Castle Cup final playing for his club, Durban Collegians. Tweedie, who pushed his name forward with two successive five-wicket hauls for Natal B, and Gary Gilder are likely to take the new ball for Natal.

Already lacking bowlers of genuine pace, Natal have lost Jonathan Bastow to overseas commitments and Eldine Baptiste is taking a well-earned rest.

Natal squad: Doug Watson, Mark Bruyns, Ashraf Mall, Jon Kent, Dale Benkenstein (capt), Jonty Rhodes, Errol Stewart, Gulam Bodi, Wade Wingfield, Robbie MacQueen, Gary Gilder, Andrew Tweedie.

© CricInfo Ltd.