Shaun Pollock faces a worrying couple of days before a decision is taken on his fitness for the first Test match against Australia starting at the Wanderers on Friday.

Pollock strained muscles in his side during KwaZulu-Natal's SuperSport Series match against Easterns in Durban at the weekend and reports from the coast on Tuesday suggest that the injury is not responding particularly well to treatment.

Andre Nel has been placed on standy for Pollock and a final decision on the captain's fitness may only be taken as late as Friday morning shortly before the match.

In the end, Pollock may well have to take the decision himself and he will have to balance the risk of aggravating the injury and perhaps counting himself out of the rest of the series or resting it to ensure his availability for the second Test in Cape Town which starts on March 8.

His absence would leave an enormous gap in the South African team, particularly at a time when it seems that very little strategy planning has taken place. The loss of Pollock would also further expose the inexperience of Justin Ontong, who has been picked to bat at six, not to mention the huge hole he would leave in the South African attack.

© CricInfo