October 15 Tuesday 2002
Kirsten recall, Boucher to lead South Africa

JOHANNESBURG: Dropped opening batsman Gary Kirsten was recalled Monday to a team skippered by Mark Boucher for the first Test against Bangladesh starting in the east coast port of East London on Friday. 

The left-handed batsman was dropped from the national squad earlier this year after a run of poor performances, but has showed enough form recently while playing for his local Western Province side to get the nod from selectors. He will open with Herschelle Gibbs, who has been in great form recently, narrowly missing a fourth successive one-day hundred run slog against the Bangladeshis. 

Regular captain Shaun Pollock is receiving treatment for a knee injury and the selectors felt he would benefit from a rest. 

Boucher will lead the team for the fourth time, having captained the side in all three home Tests against the Australians earlier this year. 

The only new cap in the team is Northerns middle order batsman Martin van Jaarsveld. 

"Van Jaarsveld is the form player at the moment and he has proven himself a consistent run scorer over a prolonged period," convener of the national selectors Omar Henry told the SAPA news agency.

Van Jaarsveld was named on of South Africa's five cricketers of the year last Monday, a day after making his senior international debut in the second one-day international against Bangladesh in Benoni. 

Eastern Province fast bowler Mornantau Hayward is recalled to the team for his first Test since the second Test against Australia in Melbourne last December.

SA team to play Bangladesh: Mark Boucher (captain), Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Martin van Jaarsveld, Paul Adams, David Terbrugge, Makhaya Ntini, Mornantau Hayward. 12th man: Alfonso Thomas.