Seamers slog it out in bid to cement World Cup spot

Seven members of the South African World Cup cricket squad will take part in Friday's two Standard Bank Cup semifinals, but only two have something to prove to the national selectors.

While Gary Kirsten, Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Mark Boucher and Makhaya Ntini are pretty certain of selection to play in the first match, against the West Indies next month, Monde Zondeki and Charl Langeveldt are in a head-to-head battle to be the main back-up seamer during the World Cup.

A strong performance in the next one or two matches may be just enough to get the edge. Western Province play Border in East London in one semi and Boland host Griquas in the other in Paarl.

Although both bowlers are likely to feature in some of the matches against Kenya, Bangladesh and Holland, they would dearly love to play tougher games.

The make-up of the World Cup squad is not that difficult to interpret. The five batsmen - Kirsten, Gibbs, Boeta Dippenaar, Kallis and Jonty Rhodes - basically pick themselves as there are no other specialist batsmen in the squad.

Boucher is the wicketkeeper, while captain Shaun Pollock is the one bowling all-rounder certain of selection.

Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini are the two specialist fast bowlers pretty sure of selection. The last two starting spots are up for grabs. Andrew Hall and Lance Klusener will fight for one, with left-arm spinners Nicky Bojé and Robin Peterson battling for the other.

That is unless the management decide to go without a spinner - something done often by South African selectors - which will probably mean both Klusener and Hall playing.

Zondeki and Langeveldt will come into the picture if, for some reason, Ntini or Donald need to be replaced.

Chairman of the national selectors Omar Henry did not want to be drawn on that on Monday, saying that both players know where they stand in the international set-up.

"It is important for all the bowlers, not just those two, to concentrate on the basics and just bowl well," Henry said.

Both Langeveldt and Zondeki are coming off good performances. Zondeki showed some of his best form of the season when Border beat Easterns two weeks ago. He scythed through the Benoni side's top order with an exhibition of pure pace - taking three for 38 - and the Easterns batters had no answer.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the East London match will be to see how Zondeki fares against WP's list of international batsmen.

Langeveldt was also impressive in his last start, against WP, taking three for 45 in nine overs. Although that may seem expensive, Langeveldt was unlucky, conceding several boundaries off inside edges, and Boland's poor fielding did not help all that much.

The former prison warder from Boland may have more experience than the tyro from the Eastern Cape, but there are few sights in cricket more exciting than a young fast bowler storming in to the wicket.

Friday's games are a vital part of the World Cup build-up. Western Province's captain and leading run scorer in the competition this year, HD Ackerman, had to make way as the international stars return to the side.

Ackerman, like Andrew Puttick, has played in every match WP played in the competition this year but they had to make way as Kallis, Gibbs, Kirsten and Graeme Smith return to the side.

Border are due to announce their team on Tuesday.

Western Province squad:

Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith, Gary Kirsten (capt), Jacques Kallis, Neil Johnson, Ashwell Prince, Thami Tsolekile, Alan Dawson, Claude Henderson, Mark de Stadler, Charl Willoughby and Quinton Friend.

TV: Border v WP (Supersport 5 and CSN); Boland v Griquas (Supersport 2). Start 3.30pm

Ex-Capetonian leads Griquas, see page 14