Proteas coach Mickey Arthur is unperturbed by reports that batsman Herschelle Gibbs is considering retirement from international cricket.
Gibbs, who is currently playing for Glamorgan in the Twenty20 competition, said in an interview with the BBC that he would consider his position in international cricket after being left out of the Test team to tour England later this month.
Glamorgan signed him for the Twenty20 Cup, but Gibbs said he could stay on for the whole season as a Kolpak player.
"I had a long chat with Herschelle before he left," Arthur told Sapa on Monday. "He knows he will be in the one-day side, and I have also told him that he is next in line to be included as a batsman.
"What Herschelle needs to do is get lots of runs on the board. If he does well in the one-day series against England, that could be his route back into the Test team.
"He knows that he has been disappointing in Test cricket recently, but there are opportunities for him to get back, either if one of the top batsmen does poorly or if there is an injury. For instance, if Graeme (Smith) is not ready by the time of the first Test at Lords, we would have to make a decision either to move AB (De Villiers) up to open the batting and bring JP Duminy in, or else we could bring Herschelle into the Test team."
Arthur said that with the tour of Australia coming up at the end of the year, Gibbs had opportunities to force his way back into the team.
"Herschelle knows exactly where he stands and what he has to do to get back into Test cricket," said Arthur.
Gibbs told the BBC that he had been longing to have a proper go at county cricket, and that were opportunities open for him at Glamorgan. The Welsh county was previously reluctant to sign Kolpak players for fear that this might hamper the progress of their young players, but after three dire years, they are reconsidering their position.
Glamorgan cricket manager Matthew Maynard, who described Gibbs as a leader, said he could provide a great boost for the young Glamorgan team. - Sapa