MELBOURNE, Feb 15: The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) is expected to appoint a new one-day captain Saturday following Wednesday’s shock decision to dump Steve Waugh a year before the World Cup in South Africa.

Wicket-keeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist, champion leg-spinner Shane Warne and batsman Ricky Ponting are considered the three main candidates for the vacancy.

Waugh, who led Australia to their 1999 World Cup victory, has also been dropped from the squad as a player and will not be chosen for the seven-match one-day series in South Africa next month.

The clean-cut Gilchrist, 30, Waugh’s vice-captain after Warne lost the role because of a personal scandal two years ago, is regarded as the favourite.

Warne, 32, has a proud record of 10 wins from 11 matches as Australia’s one-day captain and was Man-of-the-Match in the 1999 World Cup final against Pakistan at Lord’s.

The 36-year-old Waugh also played in Australia’s World Cup-winning side of 1987 and remains desperate to undertake one last campaign in cricket’s premier one-day tournament.

ACB public affairs general manager Brendan McClements said the board had a scheduled meeting Thursday where the one-day captaincy issue was discussed.

Local media reports said the board members were split between the three candidates.

“Clearly it’s a very significant decision and it’s one the board want to get right,” McClements said.

The decision by selectors Trevor Hohns, Allan Border, David Boon and Andrew Hilditch to dump Waugh from the one-day side ignited one of the fiercest public rows in Australian sport for decades.

The overwhelming mood was one of support for Waugh, who will retain the Test captaincy and arrived with his team in Johannesburg Thursday for a three-Test tour of South Africa.

Waugh’s Australia limited overs side failed to qualify for the finals of the recent triangular series in Australia involving South Africa and New Zealand.

It was only the third time since the annual tournament started in 1979-80 that the home side had missed the finals.—Reuters