Iqbal Khan: 3 or 4 places up for grabs in Hansie's side

29th September 1997

Three or four places up for grabs in Hansie's side

By Iqbal Kahn

Opportunity on a short tour comes but once and the South Africans touring Pakistan will need to seize the occasion with both hands if they wish to cement Test team places.

That's how Adam Bacher, who will open the batting for South Africa in their opening game against a Combine XI will be viewing his big break.

The same applies at No 6 to Natal's Jonty Rhodes, who was not in the Test team for the final two Tests against Australia last season.

With Andrew Hudson left on the sidelines along with fast bowlers Allan Donald, Brett Schultz and all-rounder Lance Klusener; this is the best opportunity for Bacher, who made his Test debut against India last season, to show that he can make the opening spot his own.

Hudson is a man for the big occasion and is highly unlikely to be left kicking his heels for too long.

Rhodes, who is determined to win back his regular sport in the Test side, will have to really make a big score in his opening 3-day game here to prove to the tour selectors that he is back to his best. It will be he or Jacques Kallis at No 6.

Pat Symcox, who played in the winning Test side when South Africa beat Australia at Centurion Park, will be vying for a place on the 5-day lineup with left-armer Paul Adams.

Hansie Cronje, the South African captain, said before the squad left for the eight week tour that both spinners would play leading roles and it would not come as a surprise if Symcox and Adams are included in the line-up for the opening test against Pakistan, starting on October 6 in Rawalpindi.

The team announced late yesterday has Brian McMillan at No 3 and Kallis, who batted in that spot in the first and third tests but without much success, has been pencilled in at No 7.

McMillan batted at No 3 in the final test and scored 55 and was 7 not out in the second innings. He prefers batting at this position and if he can put together a big score against the Combined XI he could sway the selectors to leave him there.

Squads: Combined XI South Africa -------------------------- ------------------------ Aamir Sohail * Gary Kirsten Ali Navqi Adam Bacher Mohammad Ramzan Brian MacMillan Azhar Shafiq Daryll Cullinan Rana Qumulquyyum-ul-Hassan Hansie Cronje * Ather Sarfraz Jonty Rhodes Javed Qadeer Jacques Kallis Shoaib Malik Shaun Pollock Shahid Nazir Dave Richardson Abdul Razzak Pat Symcox Ali Hussain Paul Adams Shoaib Akther

Source::The Star