South African skipper Graeme Smith. - file

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters):

SOUTH AFRICA named seven players of colour in their World Cup squad yesterday, retaining the same 15 who were on duty in the recent one-day series against Pakistan.

Cricket South Africa Chief Executive Gerald Majola made a promise to the government two years ago that there would be a minimum of seven players of colour in the squad for the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, which starts next month.

The selectors delivered the promise by naming batsmen Loots Bosman, Herschelle Gibbs and Ashwell Prince, spinner Robin Peterson and pacemen Charl Langeveldt, Makhaya Ntini and Roger Telemachus.

"We are sending a strong, well-balanced and well-prepared squad to meet the challenges of Caribbean conditions against the best in the world," said Majola. "No stone was left unturned in ensuring that the players have had the very best preparation on offer."

Mickey Arthur, the coach, said: "The squad selected gives us all comfort in the belief that the goals set in preparation for the World Cup have been achieved.

"The squad going to the Caribbean has proven their ability to take on the best and our performance at the Champions Trophy and our recent victories against India and Pakistan are an indication of the work put in by everyone."

Reward

South Africa beat Pakistan 3-1 in a five-match series that ended in Johannesburg on Wednesday and their reward was for the entire squad to be kept intact.

Despite not playing a game in the series, Telemachus was preferred to hard-hitting all-rounder Johan van der Wath, while Boeta Dippenaar lost out to Bosman even though he was man of the series in South Africa's last tour of West Indies in 2004/05.

Graeme Smith's squad has a settled look about it with himself, Mark Boucher, Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis, Langeveldt, Ntini, Peterson and Shaun Pollock all having appeared in previous World Cups.

Boucher and Gibbs will be playing in their third World Cup, while Kallis and Pollock were members of the 1996, 1999 and 2003 South African teams.

South Africa are in Group A with defending champions Australia, the Netherlands and Scotland. Their first match is against the Dutch in St. Kitts on March 16.

Squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Jacques Kallis, Loots Bosman, Mark Boucher (wicketkeeper), A.B. de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, André Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince, Roger Telemachus.