Gibbs, without a Test century in three years, was the most notable omission when a 14-man Test squad was announced on Monday that will leave for a two-Test trip to Bangladesh on Wednesday.

The players will continue on to India for three Tests, from Bangladesh, though that squad will be named at a later date. But the signs are not looking good for Gibbs to be on that tour either unless his likely successor Neil McKenzie fails miserably.

There is also a chance that the left-handed JP Duminy, who scored 227 runs at an average of 113.50 in four innings during South Africa's 5-0 ODI win over West Indies last month, may come in for Gibbs instead of McKenzie.

Gibbs has cracked four centuries in one-day internationals since August but it has been a major frustration to him that he has been unable to transfer that fluency into his batting in the five-day version of the game.

Fast bowler Monde Zondeki also missed out on selection despite some impressive performances in domestic cricket.   

The squad announcement brought an end to the week-long public spat between team coach and selector Mickey Arthur and Cricket South Africa President Norman Arendse over selection matters and racial quotas.

Squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Ashwell Prince, Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Morne Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn.