Frankly, I still hope we might see a Smith-Gibbs opening partnership - for the last time - this Cup. de Villiers has plenty of time, he doesn't need to be the finished act yet (and isn't - in ODIs at least).
I've always thought Kallis was best utilised at three and it's best, for me, if he nails down a certain place as soon as.
I simply can't see a place for both Kallis and Dippenaar in the same side. Boeta is a very, very fine run-scorer, and while he
can score quickly he just doesn't do it often enough. We can afford to have 1 player striking at 70, but I don't think we can afford 2. At least, not where there are faster-scoring options elsewhere. Kallis, too, is better equipped to up the pace where neccessary.
Neil McKenzie is certainly not finished in my mind. Currently his best chances look like getting a place in the Test side, but every time Prince looks like he's on the road to being dropped he always comes-up with something.
Jacques Rudolph, too, simply must be in the picture. He's always scored runs for fun in one-day cricket, and it'd be foolish to leave him out of the picture.
Clearly, the three front-line seamers are all assured of a place. Nonetheless, I always have worries about Nel and Ntini, good as they can be - both, especially in one-dayers, have too many off-days. Kallis
must be prepared to bowl 10 overs, even if he goes for plenty.
Hall is looking increasingly assured of a place,
what with his recent record. Equally, there's no doubt over the wicketkeeper's place.
I'm not completely sure when South Africa's next ODI cricket is. It's a bit of a worry, really, if there's nothing for a long time, because they really IMO need to get back to normality quickly, after THAT game. It'll do no-one any good to rest on that for a long time.
Clearly, there needs to be ONE spinner in the squad, and that 1 spinner I'd pick would be Boje. I'd not have him pencilled-in for an automatic spot, but slow and turning pitches in West Indies are not unusual and that basis needs to be covered.
I'd say anyone who writes-off Justin Kemp is a fool. He may have struggled badly against the Sri Lankans but the fact is these days he
looks like a batsman, rather than just a lower-order swinger. I'd back him to score plenty of runs on decent pitches against most bowling-attacks.
At present I'd go...
Smith
Gibbs
Kallis
McKenzie
Rudolph
Kemp
Hall
Boucher
Pollock
Ntini
Nel
With the last 2 rabbits, there
must be plenty of depth in the batting. The one shame I find is that there now seems no chance at all left of Klusener having one last fling with ODIs in West Indies. A shame, as he actually bowled well on his most recent appearence, and I think his bowling could be very useful in West Indies, while his batting might be too.