Cullinan snubs South African Test team, Pollock extremely doubtful starter

Just 24 hours after winning a Test recall, Daryll Cullinan turned his back on the South African team by pulling out of the side for the second Test against Australia at Newlands after failing to agree terms with the United Cricket Board.

And with captain Shaun Pollock emerging as an extremely doubtful starter for the Test, South Africa's already slim prospects of squaring the three-match series could disappear entirely if, as seems increasingly likely, he fails to recover from strained muscles in his side in time for Friday's start.

According to the UCB, Cullinan demanded an A Category contract stretching until beyond the 2003 World Cup as a precondition for his return to the Test team. This, not unexpectedly, was refused after which Cullinan withdrew from the team on Tuesday morning and flew home to Johannesburg.

"Unfortunately, Daryll insisted that we give him nothing less than an A Category UCB contract until 2003 for him to play in this match instead of the Test match fee which is paid to non-contracted players," said UCB chief executive Gerald Majola. "The UCB policy states that a player can be offered a contract in the middle of the season after he has played two Test matches or six One-Day Internationals in that season. Daryll does not fit those criteria. Daryll also demanded that he be given that contract until the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Our current player contracts expire at the end of April and we are not in a position to make an exception for Daryll."

Majola might have added that none of the current South African Test or one-day players has yet been offered contracts for the next 12 months. Negotiations for these contracts are expected to take place after the one-day series against Australia, which ends in April.

Cullinan's snub to the South African Test team could hardly have come at a worse time and it almost certainly will end his career as an international cricketer.

After touring the West Indies with the South African Test team last year, Cullinan left the side ahead of the one-day series and flew to England to take up a contract with Kent. In terms of this contract, Cullinan was not available for South Africa's two Test matches against Zimbabwe in September and his contract lapsed. At the time Cullinan indicated that he would be prepared to play for South Africa on a match-to-match basis.

As it turned out, a knee injury cut short Cullinan's time with Kent, but he was not fit enough to play against India in November and was not selected for the tour to Australia. He captained the South African A team against Australia at the weekend, making 86 in the first innings to win himself his Test recall.

It has all but been officially confirmed that in the event of Pollock failing to demonstrate his fitness, Cullinan would have captained South Africa at Newlands. It must also now be assumed that this had been broached with Cullinan and possibly this is what prompted him to make demands that the UCB were simply in no position to meet.

Although no decision has been taken yet on Pollock, the captain has conceded privately that his injury has not healed sufficiently for him to play and he may well miss the third Test in Durban as well.

Graeme Smith has been brought into the side to replace Cullinan and he will, selection convener Rushdi Magiet confirmed, "bat up the order". It is not clear at this stage whether this means Smith will open with Herschelle Gibbs moving to four or at three, allowing Jacques Kallis to continue batting at four.

Andrew Hall, the Easterns all-rounder, has been named twelfth man for the Newlands Test and will replace Pollock when captain finally gives up hope of playing. While Hall has played 18 One-Day Internationals for South Africa, not even he would have pushed forward his claims as a Test player and if he does play, he will join Smith and Dewald Pretorius in making his debut at Newlands.

With Cullinan having snubbed the team, Allan Donald retired, Jonty Rhodes unavailable for Test cricket, Lance Klusener horribly out of form, Hansie Cronje banned and Pollock probably injured, South Africa's resources have been decimated.

Even against a background of political intrigue, mutual distrust between players and officials and inconsistent selection, Cullinan's behaviour is extraordinary, short-sighted and selfish. It stands in contrast to Steve and Mark Waugh who have fought tooth and nail to stay in the Australian one-day team and it may, to some extent, explain why a yawning gap has opened up between Australian and South African cricket.