Cricket South Africa announces list of contracted players

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced the names of 15 players who have been given an annual contract with the national team from May 1, 2008 to April 30, 2009.

Paul Harris, Johan Botha, Morne Morkel, and JP Duminy have been included in the contracted players' list for the first time, and they have replaced Shaun Pollock, Boeta Dippenaar and Andrew Hall, all of whom have announced their retirement from international cricket, and Justin Kemp, who was one of the five South African Cricket Annual Cricketers of the Year in 2007.

Commenting on Pollock's absence from the list, CSA chief executive, Gerard Majola, said: "The Proteas contracted players' list without the name Shaun Pollock on it is something of a shock to all of us and it certainly marks the end of a remarkable career.

"As they said of Adam Gilchrist, Polly in your team meant that you had 12 players on the field and South African cricket will miss him enormously," Majola said. "We have also lost two other players to retirement in Boeta Dippenaar and Andrew Hall, and Justin Kemp is no longer contracted to the Proteas."

While he said replacing four senior players will be a difficult task, Majola was "encouraged by the ability of CSA's franchise and high-performance systems to produce young cricketers who can perform successfully at the highest level."

The four newcomers - Harris, Botha, Duminy and Morkel - have been consistent performers for South Africa in recent matches. Harris, the left-arm spinner who made his debut in the 2006-07 Test series against India, has become South Africa's first-choice slow bowler, with 30 wickets in his first 10 matches. He also claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in the first Test against Pakistan in Karachi. Meanwhile, Botha has established himself in the ODI squad with his offspin and contributions with the bat in the lower order.

Morkel, the fast bowler, also made his debut in the home series against India, and performed consistently in the Afro-Asia Cup in India. He missed out on South Africa's tour to Pakistan and the subsequent home series against New Zealand due to injury, but impressed in his comeback during the ongoing five-match ODI series against West Indies. Having played three of the four matches completed so far, Morkel, with seven wickets at 20.71, is the leading wicket-taker in the series.

Duminy, the left-hand middle-order batsman, has become a regular member of the South African one-day squad. He is the leading run-scorer in the ongoing series against West Indies, amassing 227 runs at 113.50 from four matches, including an unbeaten 79 in the first ODI in Cape Town.

South Africa face a busy international schedule, with tours to Bangladesh, India, England and Australia.

Contracted players
Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy Herschelle Gibbs, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, Morne Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn.