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Rediff.com  » Cricket » World T20 snapshots: Injured Du Plessis, Steyn doubtful for opener
This article was first published 10 years ago

World T20 snapshots: Injured Du Plessis, Steyn doubtful for opener

March 20, 2014 12:16 IST

Image: Faf Du Plessis
Photographs: Pal Pillai/Getty Images

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and pace spearhead Dale Steyn are nursing hamstring injuries and are doubtful for their World Twenty20 opener against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Both players skipped Wednesday's final warm-up game against Pakistan and a final decision on their availability would be taken on Saturday afternoon before the match, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on their website.

"Steyn has been assessed as having mildly aggravated his previous hamstring strain sustained during the Test match against Australia two weeks ago," the statement said.

"He will continue to receive treatment from the physiotherapist to give him the best chance of recovery for the opening match.

"Du Plessis remains a 50-50 chance for the opening match following his hamstring strain. The medical team is cautious of rushing him too soon because of the explosive nature of T20 cricket and the back-to-back schedule of fixtures.

"He will continue to receive extensive treatment and rehab to give him the best chance of regaining full fitness for the opening match."

SA bowlers did well against Pak in Steyn's absence

Image: Dale Steyn
Photographs: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images/Getty Images

If Du Plessis fails to regain fitness, AB de Villiers is likely to lead the team.

The Proteas travel to Chittagong on Thursday afternoon and will have a final net session on Friday.

Even without Steyn, South Africa dismissed Pakistan in the warm-up match for 71 with Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Beuran Hendricks and Wayne Parnell claiming two wickets apiece to set up their eight-wicket victory at Fatullah with six overs to spare.

"Our bowlers have bowled intelligently and have mixed up the pace well," coach Russell Domingo said.

"That is always going to be important in these conditions. We have heard that the wicket in Chittagong is different to the one in Dhaka so we will need to assess the wicket once we get there."

Source: REUTERS
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