Kallis asked to withdraw resignation

South African cricket authorities on Tuesday said it hoped star all-rounder Jacques Kallis would withdraw his resignation as vice-captain of the national team.

Kallis rocked South African cricket by announcing his resignation two days after he was left out of his country's team for next month's ICC World Twenty20 championship in South Africa.

Kallis told the Cape Times newspaper, "I have resigned as vice-captain and I'm considering my options with regard to the rest of my career."

Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Gerald Majola said in a statement that Kallis had telephoned him on Monday to say he was resigning as vice-captain.

"I said we all understood his disappointment, and appealed to him not to resign while in an emotional state but to rather meet with CSA to discuss the matter fully so that we could deal with all the issues at hand."

"It is most disappointing therefore that Jacques took a unilateral decision after speaking to me to publicly announce his resignation as vice-captain."

Majola said Kallis's actions were regrettable in view of a recent agreement between CSA and the South African Cricketers' Association which outlined the way issues involving players should be dealt with.

"Jacques is employed by CSA, and we expected him at least to sit down at a meeting and go through the matter before he made his own decision to make a public announcement."

"The reasons for his omission from the squad were fully explained to him as well as the prominent role he will play in a very full and varied season after the tournament."

"CSA hopes that Jacques will reconsider his decision because we believe that he has much to offer as vice-captain and has been a stalwart on the field for South African cricket for more than a decade."

"I do not want to get into a public debate on this issue, and will seek again a meeting with Jacques to discuss the matter fully with him and will ask him to reconsider his decision to resign as vice-captain," said Majola.

Kallis, 31, has been South Africa's outstanding player of the past decade. He has played in 107 Tests and 261 one-day internationals and is the only man in world cricket to have scored 8000 runs and take 200 wickets in both forms of the game.

Kallis was the most notable omission in a 15-man squad for the Twenty20 tournament, to be played at three venues in South Africa from September 11 to 24.

He told the Cape Times: "I have been thinking long and hard over the weekend and there is still a lot of emotion involved because I am extremely disappointed. I was very excited about the tournament and hoping to make a huge contribution."

"I feel I have a lot of good cricket left and my best years might even be ahead of me. Ideally I would like to play many more years for my country but this weekend caused me to question my future for the first time."

Newly-appointed selection convenor Joubert Strydom said after announcing the squad on Saturday that it had been decided not to "sacrifice" Kallis in the shortest form of the international game.

"It is a long season and he is a key player for us in Tests and one-day internationals," said Strydom.

Kallis could not immediately be contacted for a response to the Cricket SA statement.