3 Jan 2010

Ntini decision "sensitive"

5:27 am on 3 January 2010

The South African captain Graeme Smith acknowledges that a decision on whether to drop veteran fast bowler Makhaya Ntini for the third test against England at Newlands went beyond purely cricketing issues.

Ntini, the only black African in the South African team, is under fire after taking only two wickets in the first two tests.

He had figures of none for 114 in his team's innings defeat in the second test in Durban.

Ahead of the today's test start in Cape Town Smith says the selectors faced a tough decision and concedes the issue about Ntini possibly being dropped is a sensitive one.