Johannesburg: The South African cricket selectors made extensive changes to its one-day international squad Thursday ahead of a three-match series against World Cup champions Australia.

Six players who were part of the squad that lost a one-day series in India and were beaten by Pakistan in the final of a tournament in Sharjah were left out. Only one, fast bowler Henry Williams, was left out because of injury.

Dropped were batsman Dale Benkenstein, allrounders Derek Crookes and Peter Strydom and fast bowlers Steve Elworthy and Charl Willoughby. Fourteen players were picked for the three matches against Australia in Durban on Wednesday, Cape Town on April 14 and Johannesburg on April 16.

The matches were arranged as a challenge series after the two sides tied in a dramatic 1999 World Cup semi-final in Birmingham, England. There will be three further matches in an indoor stadium at Melbourne in Australia in August.

Recalled were batsman Jonty Rhodes, who was unavailable for the tour of India and Sharjah because his wife was having their first child, new ball bowler Roger Telemachus and allrounder Andrew Hall.

Hall, who played in one international against West Indies in 1998/99, was a prolific scorer as an opening batsman for Gauteng province during the recent domestic season and could stand in for regular opener Gary Kirsten, who is having treatment for a torn disc in his lower spine which forced him to miss the Sharjah final last Friday.

squad

Hansie Cronje (capt)

Shaun Pollock (vice-captain)

Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs

Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie

Jonty Rhodes

Lance Klusener

Mark Boucher

Nicky Boje

Mornantau Hayward

Roger Telemachus

Makhaya Ntini 

Andrew Hall.