The Black Stars were Africa's best performers at the World Cup

Michael Essien and Inter Milan's Sulley Muntari are among the big names missing from the Ghana squad to face South Africa in a friendly next week.

But Black Stars' coach Milovan Rajevac has named a strong squad, including 12 of the players who reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup.

On Monday, Essien played his first game for for his club Chelsea since the start of 2010 after a knee injury.

No reasons have been given for leaving out Muntari and Fulham's John Pantsil.

The Black Stars reached the last eight of the World Cup for the first time in their history in July and only missed out on a place in the semi-finals after losing to Uruguay in a penalty shoot-out.

Rajevac has called up Cofie Bekoe, Harrison Afful, Bernard Kumordzi, Haminu Draman, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Yaw Antwi in an 18-man list named for Wednesday's clash in Johannesburg.

The match will be played at Soccer City - the scene of the World Cup final and venue of the Black Stars loss to Uruguay.

Also included is Andre 'Dede' Ayew one of the stars of the Black Stars World Cup campaign who has been linked with a move away from French champions Marseille.

Reports in a German newspaper claim he has signed for Bundesliga side VFB Stuttgart, despite Marseille coach Didier Deschamps insisting the 20-year-old is part of his plans in the coming season.

Ghana Team:

Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson (unattached), Daniel Agyei (Liberty Professionals).

Defenders: Samuel Inkoom (Basel, Switzerland), Harrison Afful (Esperance, Tunisia), John Mensah (Lyon, France), Lee Addy (Bechem Chelsea), Jonathan Mensah (Granada, Spain).

Midfielders: Anthony Annan (Rosenborg, Norway), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese, Italy), Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese, Italy), Andre Ayew (Marseille, France), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Portsmouth, England), Cofie Bekoe (Petrojet, Egypt), Bernard Kumordz (Panionios FC, Greece).

Strikers: Asamoah Gyan (Rennes, France), Dominic Adiyiah (AC Milan, Italy), Haminu Draman(Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia), Yaw Antwi (FK Vojvodina, Serbia).

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