South Africa will have to do without two of their pacers from the first Test against Sri Lanka, including Gerald Coetzee and Wiaan Mulder after the scans declared the pair unfit to bowl. Although Wiaan’s absence will be limited to the rest of the Sri Lanka series, Coetzee will have to skip at least six weeks. This means he will not only sit out the ongoing tour against the Islanders but also the entire all-format Pakistan tour in December.
The fast-bowling all-rounder bowled a handful of overs on the last day of the opening Test. He started the day bowling in tandem with Kagiso Rabada but had to pull out after a three-over spell. His second spell saw him bowl only a couple of overs, after which he was not seen with the ball the entire session. Shukri Conrad, the Proteas’ coach, mentioned that Coetzee informed him during lunch that he felt a niggle in his groin region. He went back after lunch and bowled two more overs while being strapped up, where he bagged the big wicket of Dinesh Chandimal. After the day’s play, he was sent for the scans which revealed a strain in the muscles of his right groin.
Coetzee had just returned to the team after a conditioning break that the South African cricket board arranged to manage their fast bowlers’ workload. Although the break was scheduled for Coetzee anyway, it was more of a rehab for him following some niggles in his hip that he picked during the Major League Cricket (MLC). The break-cum-rehab saw sidelined for both the red-ball tour versus Bangladesh and West Indies.
The uncapped fast bowler Kwena Maphaka will replace him in the squad while Matthew Breetzke will come in for Wiaan Mulder. Mulder fractured his right finger while batting in the first innings. A Lahiru Kumara back-of-a-length delivery struck him on his hand before he retired hurt on nine runs.
South Africa shot up to the second place on the table after defeating the high-flying Sri Lanka by a whopping 233 runs. This has made the World Test Championship (WTC) final scenarios more interesting and from what it looks like, it will be a last-minute decider as to which two teams will book the berth for the Lord’s in June. Currently, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, and India are in the contention for top two spots in the Championship.
Besides Coetzee and Mulder, Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi are also recovering from their respective injuries due to which they are out for the next few months. However, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada will be fit to feature in the second Test, much to the Proteas’ relief.
The second Test match will commence on December 5 at St George’s Park. Just one day after the scheduled end of the final Test, South Africa will host Pakistan for a complete tour where both teams will play three T20I, followed by as many ODIs and finally a two-Test match series to cap the tour.
