Cronje has paid his dues to selectors

Centurion: Hansie Cronje it seems has served out his ``probation period'' as South Africa?s captain this season and is likely to be named as leader of the side for the series against England when the team is announced today for the first Test.

Cronje was shackled with a ``probation'' order by Rushdie Majiet?s national selection panel late in August when the side for the quadrangular limited-overs international series in Nairobi was released, with the comment that it would be reviewed after the second Test of the series against England in Port Elizabeth.

With the first Test of the five-match series now six days off the selectors would send the right message to side and a display of confidence in Cronje by naming him for the rest of the series. For one thing it makes sense for the sake of continuity as well as the team?s mental welfare after the success against Zimbabwe to start showing faith in the tall Free State batsman.

After all he has been skipper for 46 of his 61 Test with a success rate of more than 49% and apart from being the best by a South African captain the impressive victories over Zimbabwe should have restored what doubts lurked in the recesses of the selectors thoughts about his abilities as a leader.

As a rule selectors, national or otherwise, are not in the habit of making hasty, or if you listen to their statements, irrational decisions. But from the ``pick me up and go'' attitude he adopted in Nairobi after that horrendous defeat by India to lifting the cup in the final, Cronje?s leadership qualities were quickly established.

Then again, there is the need to ask the selectors on what grounds the placed they issued the probation order and what they hoped to gain from their August pronouncement.

Also they are to name the South African A side to play Sri Lanka A in a three-match series of one-day slogs at such catchy venues as Chatsworth and Paarl before the final tour game at Newlands.

This squad is likely to be released tomorrow or Monday and may, if they have done their homework, contain the right balance with perhaps Thami Tsolekile, Ian or even Gerhard Brophy being given the wicketkeeping job instead of the current pretender Wendell Bossenger.