South Africa recalls Rudolph after 5-year absence

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South Africa recalls Rudolph after 5-year absence

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South Africa recalled Jacques Rudolph to its Test team after five years in international wilderness.

23 October,2011 03:23 am

The 30-year-old Rudolph was picked in a 14-man squad for two home Tests against Australia next month and will go straight into the team as an opening batsman for the first match, South Africas head selector Andrew Hudson said.Two players uncapped at Test level were also named by Cricket South Africa for new coach Gary Kirstens first test series in charge: Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir and allrounder Vernon Philander. Opener Alviro Petersen was dropped.Batsman and vice captain AB de Villiers was picked but will have a fitness test after missing the current limited overs series against Australia with a broken left hand.Left-hander Rudolph played the last of his 35 Tests in 2006 before joining English county side Yorkshire and being ignored by selectors for five years.But he has been in outstanding early season form for South African provincial side the Titans, with a run of three half-centuries, a century and a double hundred in his last six innings in the four-day domestic competition which selectors could not ignore.Jacques will open the batting with Graeme Smith, Hudson said of the Proteas team for the first Test against Australia starting Nov. 9. His experience and current form make him an asset to the Proteas and at the age of 30 he has plenty of good years of cricket ahead of him.Rudolph made an unbeaten double century on his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2003 but his international career appeared over after he opted to join Yorkshire in 2007.He returned to South Africa in 2010 and captained an A team tour to Zimbabwe this year. He has scored five centuries and eight half-centuries in Tests and averages 36.21, but appears to currently be in the best form of his career.Squad: Graeme Smith (captain), AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.