Shane Watson declares openly that he's aiming to be the one who ends Australia's 45-year search for a genuine Test all-rounder.

The 20-year-old Tasmanian gets his first chance to make his case at international level when he debuts for his country in the four-day tour match against South Africa A starting in Port Elizabeth tomorrow.

Watson has become the hottest prospect in Australian cricket just 18 months after his first-class debut, and he hasn't ducked away from the hype.

Watson wants to bat at No.4 and bowl at first-change, leaving him chasing the likes of Keith Miller, who scored seven centuries and took 170 wickets in Tests between 1946 and 1956.

"I want to become a genuine allrounder. That's my goal and something I am working towards. That means I want to be able to do a lot of work in both aspects," Watson said.

"It is obviously pretty hard but I have seen an opportunity which has been lacking in Australian cricket.

"It is something I have seen and something I am really working on because I know there's an opportunity there if I perform in both aspects."

Australian cricket has long craved an all-rounder with the explosive talent of Miller, ensuring there's plenty of pressure on Watson while he tries to make the grade.

His early returns in domestic first-class cricket have been promising - 601 runs at an average of 37.56 and 33 wickets at 24.33 - and he has the attacking nature to succeed in cricket's toughest role.

The former Queenslander rates his favourite cricket elements as the bouncer and the pull shot and Australian Test opener Justin Langer found his right arm-bowling is genuinely fast.

But Watson's real test will come at international level when he meets stronger teams who will expose any weaknesses in his batting or bowling.

It might sound tough but Watson, who rates batting as his strongest discipline, is drawing on Shane Warne's experience as he tries to revive a lost role in Australian cricket.

"When Shane Warne first came into the Test side, Australia had not had a really good leg-spinner for 20 years," he said.

Making time to stay on top of both batting and bowling roles was an art in itself.

"It's hard. At training you have really got to balance your time," he said.

"If you are not hitting them that well with your batting you have got to do some time with that but then you have to have a bowl to make sure that's going well."

Watson will be Australia's most-watched player tomorrow as the tourists rest some senior players ahead of Friday week's second Test in Cape Town.

Andy Bichel, Darren Lehmann and Stuart MacGill are also expected to play their first matches on tour, probably with little hope of breaking into the Test team in this series following Australia's crushing win by an innings and 360 runs in the first Test.

Daryll Cullinan will lead a South Africa A team which includes Test batting contenders Graeme Smith and Jacques Rudolph.

© 2002 AAP