South African team for one-dayers

By Our Special Correspondent

JOHANNESBURG, OCT. 2. There is neither Allan Donald, nor Mfuneko Ngam in the South African team for the initial games of the Standard Bank Tri-series.

There were speculations of Donald returning to the squad, the reason behind it being a bout of flu cannot last too long to prevent him from coming back to competitive cricket. But Donald did not figure in the team chosen by the South African selectors on Monday evening.

Fast bowler Ngam has also been ruled out of the `A' team's match against India at Benoni on Wednesday. A litany of injuries from stress fractures of his back and thigh and rotator cuff tear of his bowling arm has kept him opt of action after he made a very impressive debut against New Zealand last season.

He has been operated twice and currently is under a rehabilitation programme which has brought him closer to fitness, but not sufficient enough to enable him play an international or first class match.

In the circumstances, the South African selectors have retained the team that beat Zimbabwe 3-0 in the three one-day internationals played at Bulawayo and Harare. The twelve announced is for the matches against India on Friday, October 5 and against Kenya at Benoni on Sunday, October 9.

The selectors have relieved Boeta Dippenaar - who replaced Gary Kirsten in the third one-day international against Zimbabwe - and off-spinner Justin Ontong for the Super Sports series which begins this weekend.

The South Africans who beat the Zimbabweans by 153 runs, 148 runs and by six wickets returned home on Monday. Three of the team members were named in the South African Cricket Annual's five cricketers of the tear award.

They are Shaun Pollock, Neil McKenzie and Makhaya Ntini. The other two are Mfuneko Ngam and left-arm spinner Nicky Boje. This is the first time two black cricketers - Ngam and Ntini - have figured in the honours list.

The team (for the first two games against India and Kenya): Shaun Pollock (Captain), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Jonty Rhodes, Lance Klusener, Mark Boucher, Claude Henderson, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel and Justin Kemp.

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Section  : Sport
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