Mark Waugh accepted the blame for his axing from the Australian one-day cricket team today but said only time would tell whether selectors had prematurely ended his record-breaking career.

Waugh acknowledged he did not make enough runs at home during the summer, giving selectors the chance to sack Australia's most successful one-day batsman ahead of matches in South Africa and Zimbabwe later this month.

Just three weeks after twin and captain Stephen was dumped, Mark learned his one-day international career was finished as selectors gave the first insight into the players they expect to feature in Australia's World Cup defence in 12 months.

Andrew Symonds also was dropped while fellow all-rounder Shane Watson and versatile Queensland off-spinner Nathan Hauritz were named in their first Australian one-day squads.

Queensland mates Matthew Hayden and Jimmy Maher were returned to the national squad as selectors went for 15 players for the 10 African matches, starting in Johannesburg on March 22.

It will be the first time Australia has played without a Waugh in the squad since January 1986 although Mark insisted he was still, at 36, good enough to play for his country.

"It was disappointing but life goes on. I've played a lot of games so it's not like I haven't had a good run," he said here today.

"I would like to keep playing because I think I'm probably batting well enough now to do the job in one-day cricket.

"But I thought this might happen, reading between the lines.

"I should have made more runs last summer ... and we lost games so I guess there were always going to be a few changes.

"Jimmy Maher and Matthew Hayden will come in and, who knows, if they don't score a lot of runs then maybe I was dropped too early.

"If they score a lot of runs then selectors were probably right.

"I can't look into the future and tell you that but I feel like I'm playing pretty well at the moment."

Twilight is now upon the Waugh twins, who remain part of the Australian Test squad which has barrelled its way through South Africa, heading to the second Test in Cape Town on Friday.

While both insist they can return for the World Cup next season, albeit unlikely according to Mark, national selector Trevor Hohns admitted the odds were against the Waughs ever wearing Australia's one-day strip again.

"You never close the door on anybody these days, however in the near future it's going to be difficult to go back on that decision," Hohns said.

"It's never easy. Both of them are probably legends of the game in Australian cricket and it's never easy to adjudicate on their futures."

Mark was woken this morning by phone calls of support from home, while South African fans struggled to believe that Australian selectors could drop the brothers.

Steve and Mark have made more runs than any other Australian batsmen and both have scored centuries in tour matches since arriving in South Africa.

It was a mixed announcement for the Australian players already on tour, with Watson and Hayden receiving their chance to press for a World Cup berth.

Hayden will be given an extended run at the opening role alongside Adam Gilchrist after he was dropped in January during Australia's ill-fated home triangular series against the Proteas and New Zealand.

The 20-year-old Watson was selected even before he smashed an unbeaten century in his international debut yesterday, while taking match figures of 3-60 against South Africa A.

Maher's inclusion, after playing two one-day internationals four years ago, comes as just reward for his performances for Queensland while the 20-year-old Hauritz has been marked as a finger spinner capable of developing all-round talents.

"Right from the first time he played for Queensland he looked like a young fellow who knew how to bowl," Hohns said.

"He was relaxed, he was comfortable with what he was doing, he just seemed to know what he was doing, so he is another outstanding prospect for us."

© 2002 AAP