BOETA DIPPENAAR - SOUTH AFRICA:
Boeta, Boeta, Boeta, what can we say? An average of 107 in the West Indies, but still you did not get that phone-call from Mr Lorgat. The former Grey Bloem scholar has been drifting in and out of the one-day set-up, but his record in the Caribbean speaks for itself. Dippenaar's exclusion was probably a foregone conclusion after it became known that the selectors were aiming for seven players of colour in the 15-man squad.

YASIR HAMEED - PAKISTAN:
Not only does Yasir Hameed have the experience of 50 ODIs under his belt, he also boasts an impressive one-day average of just under 40. Which leads one to believe that he must have done something radical to vex the selectors, as he has played only four ODIs in two years, despite scoring well in all of them.

HAMILTON MASAKADZA - ZIMBABWE:
Masakadza burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old in the 2000/01 season against West Indies, when he became the youngest player ever to score a Test century on debut. This followed shortly after he became the youngest first-class centurion in Zimbabwe. But Masakadza put his cricket on the backburner to focus on his studies at Free State University, and his form dipped due to a lack of top-class cricket. Yet, despite being Zimbabwe's most technically gifted player, he was not considered good enough and was dropped from the squad.

RUNAKO MORTON - WEST INDIES:
Morton must be a coach's worst nightmare. Although clearly blessed with a lot of talent, this hoodlum often undermines authority by routinely breaking the rules. Ejection from the West Indian Academy in 2001 did not quell his mean streak. He was arrested following a stabbing incident in 2004, but received a reprieve. Morton showed flashes of his quality in subsequent series' (including a fine unbeaten 90 against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy), but despite that, he was considered surplus to requirements for CWC 2007.

VVS LAXMAN - INDIA (captain):
Laxman's class is undeniable, proved by various amazing Test hundreds against Australia. At his best, Laxman is decadently elegant, second to none with his wristy strokeplay. He is, however, more suited to Test cricket, but was still desperately unlucky to miss out on World Cup selection in 2003. Four years on, and it's déja vu for VVS. "I do not want to brood over the fact that I have been omitted," said Laxman. Which probably means that he is brooding over the fact that he has been omitted.

MOHAMMAD KAIF - INDIA:
Kaif used to be a regular in the Indian team until very recently, and has a nifty collection of 125 ODIs to his name. A low-scoring ODI series in South Africa at the end of 2006 saw him fall out of favour to such an extent that Robin Uthappa was selected ahead of Kaif for the Caribbean excursion.

CAMERON WHITE - AUSTRALIA:
The 'Bear' has been touted as a future Aussie skipper following his impressive captaincy of Victoria aged only 20. Big-hitting White did pretty well upon his arrival to the Australian ODI side, helping his team to storm to the top of the Commonwealth Bank series table before those well-publicised losses to England and New Zealand. Unfortunately for the big guy, Brad Hogg was preferred as the first-choice - and only - Aussie spinner.

JOHAN VAN DER WATH - SOUTH AFRICA:
Van Der Wath had a storming MTN domestic series, and also has been on the fringes of South Africa's one-day team for some time now. The big-hitting all-rounder played a crucial role in the '438' game against Australia, smashing 35 off 18 deliveries to keep SA in touch. But the selectors opted to stick with Roger Telemachus' "wicket-to-wicket" bowling instead of Van der Wath's all-round abilities.

KHALED MASHUD - BANGLADESH (wk):
Bangladesh's selection panel made a tough decision by leaving out their lynchpin of previous years. Mashud is not only a former captain and wicketkeeper, but also Bangladesh's longest-serving international player. A drop in form saw the stalwart lose his place to youngster Mushfiqur Rahim.

FIDEL EDWARDS - WEST INDIES:
We originally had Stuart Clark in as opening bowler, but the injury to Brett Lee turned Clark's fortunes around. Edwards was originally spotted in the nets a few years back by Brian Lara, and was basically drafted straight into the Test side. A great start to his career followed, in the Test and one-day arenas, but lately the slinging paceman has been struggling to stay in the picture. When in form, he can swing and reverse-swing the ball at 150kph, which can make him a very dangerous customer indeed. His last One-Day International for the West Indies came in the Champions Trophy, but he returned nought for plenty, and was subsequently dropped for the World Cup.

MATTHEW HOGGARD - ENGLAND:
'Hoggie' has been a top performer for England in the Test arena over the past five or six years, and has been a key element in their success. Whereas other opening bowlers like Gough, Anderson and Harmison have gone through severe dips in form, Hoggard has remained steady. Oddly enough, he played his last ODI for England in April 2006, despite England's dreadful one-day form in 2006. A lion-hearted performer, he certainly shows up some of the young pretenders in terms of tenacity.

By Phil Coetzer

Do you agree with Phil's selection? Drop us a line!