Titans and Warwickshire spin bowler Paul Harris has been called up to the national cricket team, and Titans all-rounder Morne Morkel has been placed on standby for the injured Dale Steyn.
Convenor of the national selection committee Haroon Lorgat said after South Africa's 123 run defeat by India in the first Castle Lager Test at the Wanderers on Monday that Paul Harris had been called up to replace Nicky Boje, who retired from international cricket two days before the Test.
"We announced the squad for all three Test matches, but Nicky Boje announced his retirement so we had to look for a replacement spinner," said Lorgat. "We decided on Paul Harris after Claude Henderson let us know he was not available. Also, what we've done is to ask Morne Morkel to be on standby in case Dale Steyn or Andrew Hall are not fully fit, because I do have a preference for playing 100 per cent fully fit players. Jacques Rudolph and Paul Adams, who were released to play for their franchises, will also rejoin the squad in Durban."
Morkel will also join the squad in Durban. "We prefer to have standby players with us than somewhere on the beach," explained Lorgat.
Lorgat said he was saddened by Boje's decision to retire. Newspaper reports indicated that Boje made his decision because he was unhappy about comments made by Lorgat that South Africa did not have a match-winning spin bowler.
ôIÆm deeply saddened," said Lorgat. "It's not in my character to make statements to get people to react in that fashion and it's pretty unfortunate. It's not what I intended. I thought I was just speaking facts, that we do not have a spinner that has changed the course of a Test match. I had a long talk to Nicky before I said that, but I have not had the opportunity to talk to him since then."
Lorgat said the decision to include the unorthodox Paul Adams into the squad had been part of a long-term plan to develop South Africa's spin bowling capabilities. "He is the 15th name on the list; Nicky was always our first option.
"Paul Adams is our only wrist spinner with any record. I have no doubt that he's got a long way to go before he can make the eleven, but it's a process we're going through to develop our spin bowling options. And part of that process was to get him back into the franchise squad, and luckily, they took our cue, and played him. It's a long term option for us, and we'll have to make a call at some stage."
Lorgat said the selectors were very concerned about the failure of the opening pair of Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs.
"We're going to have to talk hard about our options for the top order," he said.
But Lorgat reaffirmed his confidence in the team and their ability to bounce back from their defeat.
"I don't think this a Test they'll look back on with great pride. I think they didn't apply themselves, but I am confident that they will come back and turn us around."
Responding to criticism that senior players had not been able to get some first class practice by playing for their franchises between the one-day internationals and the first Test, Lorgat said that given the same circumstances, he would have done the same thing.
Proteas squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis (vice capt), Paul Adams, Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Paul Harris, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel (standby)
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