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POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, Thursday (Reuters) - South Africa's cricket talisman Jonty Rhodes will discover on Thursday whether he is out of the World Cup after breaking a bone in his right hand.

He faces an anxious 24-hour wait for a medical report on the injury, suffered in South Africa's 10-wicket win over Kenya in Group B on Wednesday.

Rhodes, the best fielder in the world but who has a history of hand trouble, was taken to hospital where an x-ray confirmed the break. He was immediately sent to Johannesburg to consult a specialist.

South Africa media manager Gerald de Kock said: "From the team's perspective, from South African cricket's perspective and especially from Jonty's perspective, in his last World Cup and his last international event, this is hugely disappointing. He's an icon.

"First Warne and now possibly Rhodes as well are out of the World Cup. It's a big blow. "The road was tough enough after losing to the West Indies. Today was great but we've still got a long way to go."

Rhodes had spilt a catch offered from Maurice Odumbe near the end of the Kenya innings at Potchefstroom before being replaced later by 12th man Andrew Hall.

By the time South Africa had wrapped up their win, the 33-year-old was already on his way to Johannesburg.

Rhodes, whose athleticism in the field is often said to be worth 30 runs per innings and who also plays a key role as a batting 'finisher', had had the same hand x-rayed after South Africa's shock opening defeat to West Indies. That had showed severe bruising but no break.

Rhodes, also a hockey international and who retired from test cricket in 2000 to concentrate on one-dayers and to spend more time at home, will always be remembered for one particular piece of fielding. In the 1992 World Cup, he ran out Pakistan's Inzamam-ul-Haq with a headlong swallow dive on to the stumps at the Gabba in Brisbane.

The photograph of that majestic dive is frequently re-published, although Rhodes himself said it was bad cricket, arguing he should have thrown the ball but had lost confidence in his throwing accuracy. However the image was used by several South African newspapers in their build-up to this World Cup.

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