Cricket: Australians rewarded

Australia's selectors yesterday stood behind the side which crushed West Indies in the fourth Test by choosing an unchanged line-up for the two-month tour of South Africa starting next week.

The opener Matthew Elliott and right-arm seam bowler Jason Gillespie were added to the 12 players from the fourth Test team. Despite a dismal run of low scores as an opener, Mark Taylor was chosen again in recognition of his leadership skills.

Elliott returned to club cricket last weekend following knee surgery after a bizarre mid-pitch collision with Mark Waugh when he was on 78 in the second Test in Sydney last month.

The 21-year-old Gillespie strained a side muscle during the third Test in Melbourne but was back bowling in the practice nets this week in Adelaide.

Taylor said he was confident Elliott and Gillespie were fit to play on the South African tour, which he hoped would signal a period of selection stability after recent turmoil. The Australian selectors dropped opener Michael Slater for the Test series against West Indies and made a number of changes for the recent World Series limited-overs competition.

The Australian team yesterday travelled to Perth to prepare for the fifth and final Test starting on Saturday, after beating the West Indies by an innings and 183 runs in Adelaide on Tuesday.

AUSTRALIAN SQUAD (to tour South Africa): M A Taylor (captain), I A Healy (vice-captain), M G Bevan, A J Bichel, G S Blewett, M T G Elliott, J N Gillespie, M L Hayden, J L Langer, G D McGrath, P R Reiffel, S K Warne, M E Waugh, S R Waugh.