Dissect with me, if you will, the South African World Cup squad.

Plenty of possible pieces - Mark Boucher, Alviro Petersen, Ryan McLaren - left out of the 15-man puzzle, but none more incorrect than the omission of young David Miller.

Some pre-squad announcement debate revolved around the Proteas picking one of Miller or Colin Ingram. Other conjecture had it as Miller versus Albie Morkel, while there was always going to be the mandatory 'is there really a need for a back-up wicketkeeper?' talk.

With all said and done, Ingram gets the green light, neither Miller nor Morkel are in and there is, according to Andrew Hudson, merit in picking a reserve gloveman. Stock standard selection, including the odd tough call, I suppose, but how exactly did the talented Miller miss out?

Hashim Amla, Johan Botha and first-choice company - they all picked themselves, while JP Duminy and Lonwabo Tsotsobe have done enough in recent months to warrant their spots.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Morne van Wyk's power at the top of the knock rightly sees him in ahead of Thami Tsolekile and Imran Tahir, as yet untested on the international stage, seemingly can do no wrong in the eyes of the spin-fixated selectors.

So, at first glance, it's Faf du Plessis who cracks the nod ahead of Miller. Fair play there. Du Plessis seems as good a hitter and can weigh in with some leg-spin on the sub-continent.

Robin Peterson, then, is the fall guy. And rightly so. Spin bowler, opening batsman, middle-order man, genuine all-rounder or non-playing reserve - I, nor Hudson and posse, seem to know what exactly the 31-year-old's role is nowadays.

There was a time, a couple of months ago, when the Derbyshire sign-off was ripe for the re-picking by the Proteas, who would've done well to identify an exact purpose for him. They didn't, instead dragging him around the umpteenth punctuated series of his career.

Now, ODI bowling average: 53.19, ODI batting average: 12.75, 38 one-dayers strung together across a checkered nine-year international career - it really is time Peterson be put to the safe pastures of county and provincial cricket once and for all.

Hudson hailing him as one of "three specialist spin bowlers" in the squad is a bit of a joke. Let's call a spade a spade. Slow bowler, maybe. Granted he is a left-armer, which adds something of a different dynamic to the bowling options. But when there's the unwaverable Johan Botha and impending wonder pick Tahir in the same party, there's simply no room for Peterson.

Back to Miller, then, who can really count himself unlucky to be left at home while Peterson does nothing more than carry drinks and take in the sights and sounds of India at the expense of CSA.

The powerful left-hander's prowess against the slower bowlers, consistently on the sweep, would've stood the Proteas in great stead on the slow, low dust bowls across the sub-continent.

Hudson's pride in "seven specialist batsmen" might yet bite him in the rear. An eighth - Miller - would've been ideal. South Africa's supposed pseudo all-rounders - Peterson, Botha, Wayne Parnell, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn - are not all they're made out to be. The tail is, indeed, as long as it has ever been.