Gibbs dropped, Miller in for Windies tour

Johannesburg:

Miffed with the team's disastrous show in the ongoing World Twenty20, South African selectors have dropped four players, including star batsman Herschelle Gibbs and included unheralded David Miller in the team for the upcoming tour of West Indies.

Hashim Amla, Alviro Petersen, Ryan McLaren and Lonwabo Tsotsobe will also join the squad in the West Indies for the series. Apart from Gibbs, all-rounder Albie Morkel, Rusty Theron and Rory Kleinveldt will also return home and will not take part in the series.

Miller will join the squad next week for the two T20s matches, scheduled for next week in Antigua, and five ODIs. The left-hander replaces Wayne Parnel, who has so far not recovered from the groin injury suffered during Indian Premier League III.

"We want to improve our batting in the middle of an innings, which is why we want to give Miller a chance at international level," South Africa's newly-appointed convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson told the Afrikaans daily Beeld.

The 20-year-old Miller has been South Africa's highest scorer in the local Pro20 series. He is also an outstanding fielder and his selection lends credence to a promise by the selectors that they would make serious changes after South Africa's poor outing in the Twenty20 World Cup, where they failed get past the Super Eight stage.