Kallis and Smith in South Africa all-time XI

Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis have been voted into South Africa's all-time Test XI, along with Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald, by a Cricinfo jury.

Smith will open the innings with Barry Richards - one of cricket's greatest what-might-have-beens, who played just four Tests before South Africa's isolation in the 1970s. Kallis bats one-down, followed by Graeme Pollock, one of the finest left-hand batsmen in the game, who along with Richards was among the stars of the 1969-70 series against Australia in which South Africa whitewashed the visitors 4-0.

Among the notable absentees in the XI are allrounders Trevor Goddard and Eddie Barlow, Gary Kirsten, and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, who has a record 475 Test dismissals. The gloves were instead given to Johnny Waite, who shares the South African record for most dismissals in a five-Test series, 26, with Boucher.

The middle order features Dudley Nourse, who once batted nine hours with his broken right thumb pinned, to score a double-century in South Africa's first Test win in 16 years, and the legendary early-20th-century batsman-cum-legspinner Aubrey Faulkner.

South Africa have been blessed with a rich pool of allrounders, and Mike Procter (221 runs and 41 wickets in seven Tests) makes it into the side with Faulkner (1754 runs and 82 wickets in 25 Tests). While Shaun Pollock was picked as a fast bowler, he more than holds his own as an allrounder. Add Kallis and you have four world-class allrounders in the XI.

Richards, unanimously voted into the XI, and Procter, with eight votes, were the only ones to make it despite having played fewer than 10 Tests each. Richards' opening partner, however, just sneaked into the side, ahead of Barlow. Neil Manthorp, a broadcaster and journalist who was on the jury, said the idea of Smith opening with Richards in his prime was "too delectable to ignore".

"Graeme has shown throughout his career an ability to rise to the big occasion. Just because he still has so many years left of his career doesn't mean to say we shouldn't judge him on what he has already achieved, which is phenomenal. Most places in the XI can be considered contentious, but Smith as an opener, in my opinion, is a complete no-brainer," Manthorp said.

Graeme Pollock, Nourse and Donald were also unanimous picks, while Kallis and Hugh Tayfield, who took the lone spinner's berth, got nine votes each.

The jury included Ali Bacher, who led South Africa in the 1970 series against Australia before becoming the managing director of the board in the 1990s, Rudi Koertzen, and Colin Bryden, the editor of the Mutual & Federal SA Cricket Annual.

Cricinfo readers were asked to pick their all-time South Africa XI, and while their top four matches the jury's, they overwhelmingly voted for Boucher as keeper (five times as many votes as second-placed Denis Lindsay). They also opted for AB de Villiers over Nourse, and gave Shaun Pollock allrounder duties to accommodate Steyn.

The nominees

Openers: Barry Richards, Bruce Mitchell, Graeme Smith, Eddie Barlow, Herschelle Gibbs, Gary Kirsten, Jackie McGlew.

Middle order: Jacques Kallis, Daryll Cullinan, Dudley Nourse, Graeme Pollock, Herbie Taylor, AB de Villiers.

Allrounders: Aubrey Faulkner, Mike Procter, Brian MacMillan, Trevor Goddard, Jimmy Sinclair, Shaun Pollock.

Wicketkeepers: Mark Boucher, Johnny Waite, Jock Cameron, Denis Lindsay, Dave Richardson.

Spinners: Hugh Tayfield, Paul Adams, Cyril Vincent.

Fast bowlers: Shaun Pollock, Allan Donald, Neil Adcock, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Peter Pollock, Fanie de Villiers.