SA selectors 'look beyond colour' for MCG

Haroon Lorgat, the South Africa selection convenor, plans to "look beyond colour" when picking the team for the crucial second Test against Australia at Melbourne on Monday. South Africa chose four black or coloured players for the opening match at Perth, but the places of Ashwell Prince and Charl Langeveldt appear in doubt with the expected returns of Jaques Kallis and Nicky Boje.

The United Cricket Board's constitution says South Africa must be a "team of colour", with an unofficial component of at least two non-white representatives in each side. However, Lorgat said in Sydney's Daily Telegraph the second Test squad would be "a pure cricket selection".

"We have to look beyond colour with this," Lorgat said. "That won't be an issue in our deliberations. Of course one of our duties and responsibilities is to provide opportunities for black players but cricket is doing enough at all levels."

Makhaya Ntini and Herschelle Gibbs would cover the "target" system's requirements, but halving the team's non-white representation could attract large amounts of political criticism from South Africa. Boje, the left-arm spinner, appears to be a certain selection while a top-order batsman will make way for Kallis if he recovers from an elbow injury. Prince has said the quota or target systems are wrong because they "mess with the minds of both white and black players".