Cape Town: South African captain Graeme Smith acknowledged on Saturday that a decision on whether to drop veteran fast bowler Makhaya Ntini for Sunday's third Test against England at Newlands went beyond purely cricketing issues. Ntini, the only black African in the South African team, is under fire after taking only two wickets in the first two Tests. He had figures of none for 114 in his team's innings defeat in the second Test in Durban and there have been calls for him to be replaced by Friedel de Wet, who took four wickets as England slipped close to defeat in the first Test in Centurion.
Smith echoed coach Mickey Arthur in saying that the selectors faced a tough decision. He said he wouldn't be part of the decision. "As far as I know, the selection process is that Mickey will have the final call on the eleven," said Smith. "The selectors pick the squads. I have an input but since I've been captain I haven't had a vote on the selection." Smith said he expected to have a final team by Saturday evening after a meeting between Arthur and the selectors, but said the eleven would only be announced shortly before play on Sunday. Asked whether dropping Ntini would be a sensitive issue, Smith said: "It's a sensitive issue in South Africa. That's being honest. Makhaya is an icon to the country. He's not only the most iconic player of colour we've had, he's also been one of the most iconic cricketers in terms of performance over the last decade." Smith indicated that the struggles of Ntini, who has taken 390 wickets in 101 Tests, presented challenges for the team management.
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