UCB ordered selectors to pick Ontong

Black all-rounder Justin Ontong was included in the South Africa team for the third Test against Australia which started on Thursday after the United Cricket Board over-ruled the selectors.

UCB president Percy Sonn said he had ordered the selectors to select Ontong as a replacement for out-of-form all-rounder Lance Klusener instead of their preferred choice of Jacques Rudolph. The selectors had wanted Rudolph to bat at three with Boeta Dippenaar dropping to number six.

"The team was given to me without a certain player of colour (Ontong) who was selected to fill a position in the batting list," Sonn told a news conference.

"Jacques Rudolph came over to shadow the first three, he's a top order batsman, as is Boeta Dippenaar. Ontong was brought in to shadow positions six and lower."

"If you try to shuffle number threes into number sixes you are doing something that is exclusionary to people who are brought in to shadow other positions.

"So I intervened and I said 'you take this team back and this is how I understand the policy and this policy must be complied with. You go back and reformulate your team'."

Sonn added he had discussed the matter with South Africa captain Shaun Pollock who he said had not initially understood the policy.

He also said he had rejected an argument that Ontong's two ducks in last month's tour match against New South Wales suggested he was not in good enough form for a Test match.

"That (form) was raised with me but I didn't regard that as cogent enough for me not to take action," Sonn said.

"And how do you determine form? When do you start gazing into the future and saying when form is going to be permanent?"

Ontong bowled two overs, conceding 10 runs, in Australia's first innings 308 for five.

Opening batsman Hercchelle Gibbs was the only coloured player chosen for the final Test.

The Test selectors are obliged to choose a team on merit but including at least one player of colour. Provincial teams have to include at least three.

Mail Cricket Editor