Elworthy tour selection puzzle

This year they may get an oppotunity to atone for their lack of manners should Elworthy earn a place in the South African side which starts a four-month tour of England next month.

Elworthy is one of three names which have surfaced in the possibles bracket of making the tour since Peter Pollock, the national selection convener, confirmed a larger than usual squad was being selected.

Either 17 or 18 players were under consideration and 14 of those are in the side playing Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Standard Bank Triangular series with today's game in Kimberley between Sri Lanka and Pakistan with both sides anxious to earn their first points of the limited-overs tournnament.

Elworthy's two games and his ability to swing the ball as well as tie up one end has placed the tall Northerns fast bowler in the place once filliwed by Fanie de Villiers.

And with the selectors eager to test their theory of using as well as utilising the experience of Elworthy, Pat Symcox and Mike Rindel, the limited-overs campaign in England this year is an ideal way of giving their World Cup plans a thorough examination.

First are three Texaco one-day games (the second of which is at Old Trafford) from May 21. In August is yet another triangular tournament: this one involves England and Sri Lanka along with Hansie and the boys.

Naturally the selectors are not going to show their hand too soon: Pollock and Co are too shrewd for that. They needed a swing bowler of the ``Vinnige Fanie'' mould in England and Elworthy, from all accounts fits into that category. And if he proves himself he may yet catch a test or two, especially as injuries are likely during such a testing campaign.

Whether Elworthy, or Rindel for that matter, get themselves on the UCB pay roll as contracted players is another possibility. At this stage the current squad has lost two players to retirement while the queue of hopefuls has already reached seven.

A decison should be made once the squads for England and Sri Lanka are announced in Cape Town on April 22. De Villiers and Dave Richardson have retired while Andrew Hudson and Brian McMillan could find themselves dropped from the list which numbers 17.

Surprisingly Mark Boucher, although a tourist in Australia and who replaced Richardson a wicketkeeper, is not contracted, along with Elworthy, Rindel, HD Ackerman, Gerhardus Liebenberg, Makhaya Ntini and Roger Telemachus.

Talks about the new contracts starts next week when the selectors look at their options, which are likely to include the World Cup. And Thursday week the national players committee of Hansie Cronje, Symcox and Richardson hold talks week with the UCB management committee to mull over the prickly issues since the start of what has been a long season.

The contracted players are: Category A: Hansie Cronje, Gary Kirsten, Brian McMillan, Daryll Cullinan, Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock. Category B: Pat Symcox, Andrew Hudson, Jonty Rhodes, Paul Adams. Category C: Adam Bacher, Jacques Kallis, Brett Schultz, Lance Klusener, Herschelle Gibbs, Derek Crookes.

Trevor Chesterfield Cricket writer Pretoria News tche@ptn.independent.co.za

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