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South Africa name Test squad

The prediction of a pace war intensifies with spinner axed

The role that Australian captain Michael Clarke says can’t be filled has been assigned to a pair of seam-bowling all-rounders, one of whom is likely to play in the upcoming first Test against South Africa.

South Africa’s selectors today named a 15-man squad for the three-Test series and included all-rounders Wayne Parnell and Ryan McLaren to take the place of retired all-rounder Jacques Kallis and legspinner Imran Tahir.

The exclusion of Tahir, who struggled in the recent Test series against India and eventually surrendered his place in the starting XI, and the inclusion of another seamer rather than a specialist spinner further suggests the series will be played on pace-friendly pitches.

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Certainly that was the view of the Australian skipper prior to a bulk of his squad leaving Sydney this morning.

Clarke used his pre-departure media conference to point out that – given his remarkable Test record and the invaluable all-round contribution he provided South Africa for so many years – Kallis simply could not be replaced.

While a very good player would doubtless be drafted in to fill his role, it would unfair and unreasonable to suggest the replacement could measure up to Kallis’s talents, certainly in the short term.

Clarke also foresaw that the series – that features Tests in Centurion, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, would be essentially a battle between two world-class fast bowling attacks and the runs would be hard to come by as a result.

The axing of Tahir further indicates that the home team believes it will be seam rather than spin that decides the outcome.

“I think you’ll see that the wickets are conducive for fast bowling with two very good fast bowling attacks,” Clarke said.

“You’re going to see some low scores.

“It’s going to be an extremely tough challenge for both batting units if the wickets are conducive to sideways movement.

“There’s a lot of reasons that make this tour an extremely tough one.

“But we’re full of confidence and we look forward to the challenge against the number one team in the world.”

McLaren, a right-arm medium-fast bowlers and left-hand batsman has not played at Test level since making his debut against England in Johannesburg four years ago.

Parnell, a left-arm quick who also bats left-handed, has played just three Tests, the most recent of which was the match in which McLaren made his debut.

The other seam-bowling all-rounder in the squad who may come into consideration for the opening Test is Rory Kleinveldt.

Tahir arrived on the Test scene amid great anticipation when he debuted against Australia during their 2011 tour.

But in his 13 Tests since then he has failed to secure a place at Test level, with a return of just 36 wickets at an average of 43.

His exclusion means the spin duties for South Africa, if required, will fall to left-arm orthodox pair Robin Peterson and part-timer J P Duminy.

The South African squad is: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Robbie Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Thami Tsolekile.