MELBOURNE (Reuters)
Australia have added legspinner Stuart MacGill to their squad for the third Test against South Africa starting at Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) wicket is traditionally favourable to spin and Australia could opt to promote MacGill to the 11 on his home ground to bowl in tandem with fellow legspinner Shane Warne, one of Wisden's five cricketers of the 20th century.

Warne, 32, has taken 11 wickets in the first two Tests of the three-match series which Australia lead 2-0. MacGill, 30, boasting 75 wickets in 16 Tests, took 5 for 132 and 4 for 89 for New South Wales in the drawn tour match against South Africa at the SCG last week.

"Being a legspinner against South Africa is the same as any other bowler against them," MacGill said on Sunday. "You still have to bowl well. They have got some very good players and the one thing they do is pounce on bad bowling.

"The pitch I took nine wickets on against the South Africans at the SCG had no grass on it at all, but one thing I have found over the years is that it always turns at the SCG whether there is grass on the surface or not."

MacGill said when he last bowled with Warne in a Sydney Test, against England in 1998-99, the batsmen were concentrating on trying to keep Warne out. MacGill, whose initials are SCG, took 12 wickets and won the man of the match award while Warne took two wickets.

"If there's someone at the other end who has an aura about them, like Shane or Glenn McGrath, then you find it makes your job a whole lot easier," MacGill said.

MacGill's most recent Test appearances were in the 2000-01 season when he took 16 wickets in four Tests against West Indies when Warne was injured.

MacGill was 12th man for the first Test against South Africa in Adelaide earlier this month when Warne took eight wickets for 170 to win the man of the match award.

Fast bowler Andy Bichel replaced MacGill in the 12 for the second Test in Melbourne which Australia won by nine wickets on Saturday to consolidate their position as the world's leading Test-playing nation. Bichel was promoted to the 11 after Jason Gillespie broke down with a shoulder injury two days before the second Test.

Australia (squad of 13) Steve Waugh (capt), Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Brett Lee, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Andy Bichel, Brad Williams, Stuart MacGill.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd