Rhodes is out of World Cup

Jonty Rhodes has been axed from South Africa's World Cup squad after breaking a bone in his right hand. Having retired from Test cricket in 2000 and announcing that he would be retiring from one-day international cricket after the World Cup, the announcement means that the cricket world could have seen the last of the outstanding fielder of his generation and arguably the greatest of all time.

Rhodes damaged the hand when he dived to his right going for a catch offered by Kenya's Maurice Odumbe in yesterday's match at Potchefstroom. At the time, he appeared to be more pained by dropping the chance than by his hand. However, he later left the field and went for an X-ray that revealed a break to the fifth metacarpal bone of his right hand. He had metal pins inserted in the break to aid recovery, but the selectors felt that the three weeks he would be out of the game was too long to wait - even for such a talismanic and popular figure like Rhodes.

South Africa media manager Gerald de Kock said: "The decision was made by all the selectors in consultation with the orthopaedic surgeon, the coach and the captain." Batsman Graeme Smith has been put on stand-by to join the squad once such a move is approved by the ICC Technical Committee.

"We will be applying to the technical committee tomorrow morning for their approval of a replacement," de Kock said.

So the World Cup has lost two of its most glittering stars in the space of two days. On Tuesday, Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne returned home after failing a drugs test and now Rhodes has gone too. His outstanding fielding sometimes overshadowed his batting, but he averaged over 35 in both forms of the game and he will be sadly missed by the South African team - and the public all over the world.