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South Africa name World Cup squad

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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- South Africa have named seven players of color in their World Cup squad, retaining the same 15 who were on duty in the recent one-day series against Pakistan.

Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola made a promise to the government two years ago that there would be a minimum of seven players of color in the squad for the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, which starts next month.

The selectors delivered the promise by naming batsmen Loots Bosman, Herschelle Gibbs and Ashwell Prince, spinner Robin Peterson and pacemen Charl Langeveldt, Makhaya Ntini and Roger Telemachus.

South Africa beat Pakistan 3-1 in a five-match series that ended in Johannesburg on Wednesday and their reward was for the entire squad to be kept intact.

The series victory helped South Africa to close the gap on defending World Cup champions Australia at the top of the International Cricket Council ODI rankings to just two points.

"It's a huge honor captaining this team to the World Cup and knowing that I have full confidence in all 15 players makes me even prouder," said captain Graeme Smith.

"This team has come a long way since 2003, it is much calmer and confident and we just need to adapt to conditions in the Caribbean and deal with the pressures."

Despite not playing a game in the series, Telemachus was preferred to hard-hitting all-rounder Johan van der Wath, while Boeta Dippenaar lost out to Bosman even though he was man of the series in South Africa's last tour of West Indies in 2004-05.

Coach Mickey Arthur said Telemachus had been preferred to Van der Wath because he would be used behind the new ball bowlers.

"Roger provides us with variation if the pitch is slow, he bowls wicket-to-wicket in the middle overs and can reverse the ball and is very good at the death," Arthur said.

"Johan van der Wath has done really well for us in the past, but he is a new ball bowler and he competes with Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock."

Convenor of selectors Haroon Lorgat said Dippenaar's omission was because the team were looking to play aggressive cricket at the start of their innings.

"That decision was made around the game plan because we want to get off to quick starts in the powerplays. Boeta is unlucky, but he had five innings in the Champions Trophy in which to cement his place at the top of the order," he said.

Smith's squad has a settled look about it with himself, Mark Boucher, Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Langeveldt, Ntini, Peterson and Shaun Pollock all having appeared in previous World Cups.

Boucher and Gibbs will be playing in their third World Cup, while Kallis and Pollock were members of the 1996, 1999 and 2003 South African teams.

South Africa are in Group A with Australia, the Netherlands and Scotland. Their first match is against the Dutch in St. Kitts on March 16.

Squad - Graeme Smith (captain), Jacques Kallis, Loots Bosman, Mark Boucher (wicketkeeper), AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Roger Telemachus.

Samuels included by West Indies

Meanwhile, all-rounder Marlon Samuels, who is under investigation by the International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption unit, has been included in the West Indies squad for the World Cup.

Samuels and 19-year-old Trinidad all-rounder Kieron Pollard were both named in a 15-man squad announced by the West Indies Cricket Board.

Three ICC officials met senior police officers in Nagpur on Monday after police said they had taped telephone conversations of Samuels allegedly passing confidential team information to a bookmaker. An ICC spokesman said West Indies were free to select Samuels pending the results of the investigation.

Lendl Simmons was handed the final batting slot while Ian Bradshaw, Daren Powell, Corey Collymore and Jerome Taylor will be the four pace bowlers.

West Indies will open the tournament against Pakistan in Jamaica on March 13.

West Indies - Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Ian Bradshaw, Corey Collymore, Jerome Taylor, Denesh Ramdin, Devon Smith, Lendl Simmons, Daren Powell, Kieron Pollard.

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