SA selection problems loom

Apart from the recall of Herschelle Gibbs and Makhaya Ntini included in the test squad for games at Newlands and SuperSport Centurion, Paul Adams is a certainty. And all have played for South Africa in either test or ODI level.

As for England later in the year Eastern Province's wicketkeeper Lulama Masikazna is another likely to be exposed to the senior side after earning under-24 honours in Sri Lanka three years ago. Butafter that the cupboard is a little bare.

There are grumblings in the Eastern Cape over the loss ofd Asshwell Prince to Western Province while young fast bowler Mulligan George, who turns out for Province against Northerns this weekend is another promising player in the wings.

Only Dr Ali Bacher, the managing director of the United Cricket Board, has said that more players must be found to play in the two overseas squads: the first to England and the second to Sri Lanka. All of this to fit in with the hoped-for acceleration when the West Indies side tour South Africa next year.

The tour contains five tests, the last of which has been scheduled for Centurion at the end of January.

``I know it is going to place pressure on the provinces to find more-non-white players. We need to do this if we are to be assured of the longer-term benefits emerging from the development (upliftment) programme.''

Yet even Dr Bacher admitted it was not going to be easy. As South Africa now prepare for the change in player compliment to fit in with the new UCB selection policy the captain, Hansie Cronje, admitted it needed another soul-searching meeting after the def eat by 29 runs at Kingsmead a week ago to refocus the team's thinking for this third test at St George's Park.

It is the second time in three months the side plus the UCB management has sat down to a serious post-mortem of the team's short-comings and a lack of discipline. Dr Bacher, Peter Pollock, the selection panel convener, and Krish Mackerddhuj sat in to sort of ``problem areas in the team''.

Yesterday four of the five members of the selection panel at St George's Park yesterday mulled over the debris of a drawn series against Pakistan instead of celebrating what was meant to be a 2-0 triumph.

As Fanie de Villiers bowed out on what has been a short if illustrious test career by winning the match with a perfect yorker to bowl Shoiab Ahktar and South Africa went on to square the series with a victory by 259 runs, the selectors main thoughts are no doubt to bolster the batting.

This could see Adam Bacher, with 97 runs in five innings at 19.40 being replaced as opener by Andrew Hudson, or even Gibbs, which may be taking selection credibility too far.

So, by the time the fifth selector, Clive Rice, returns from Australia from the ``Masters Series'' the face of the test squad will have changed without having a say in its make up as the ``old guard'' which toured Australia four years ago are ``pensioned off''.

South Africa's next series, two matches against Sri Lanka, starts at Newlands in Cape Town on March 19

Trevor Chesterfield Cricket writer Pretoria News tche@ptn.independent.co.za

Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)