Doubts surround Smith's fitness for first Test

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, hasn't yet fully recovered from the finger injury which kept him out of the final Test against Australia last week and might miss the first Test against New Zealand next week.

Haroon Lorgat, the national convenor of selectors, announced a 16-man squad on Saturday for the three-Test series which gets underway on April 15 at Centurion.

"We have retained the same squad of players following the tough Castle Test Series against the world's number one team," Lorgat said.

"We believe that the experience will stand them in good stead, and they deserve another opportunity against New Zealand. We will, however, monitor performances carefully as we seek to build a successful Test team".

Smith is due to see a specialist in Johannesburg on Tuesday; his chances of playing are rated "50-50".

South Africa squad to face New Zealand
Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Nicky Boje, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Boeta Dippenaar, Andrew Hall, Garnett Kruger, Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn