Maharaj joins injury list as South Africa grapple with fitness issues

Cardiff, Sep 11 (IANS) South Africa have been hit with a third injury setback on their tour of England, after left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj pulled up with a groin injury during the warm-up ahead of the first T20I in Cardiff.

Captain Aiden Markram revealed after the 14-run DLS win that Maharaj was originally set to play but had to be withdrawn at the last minute, with Corbin Bosch stepping in to replace him. Maharaj had recently been recalled to the T20I setup after missing tours to Australia and Zimbabwe.

Earlier in the day, fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was officially ruled out of the series due to a right hamstring strain. He is set to return home on Thursday and now faces a race against time to be fit for South Africa’s next major challenge - the defence of their World Test Championship title in Pakistan starting October 12.

To bolster their pace attack, left-armer Nandre Burger has been called up and will be available for the second T20I at Old Trafford on Friday.

The injury list had already grown earlier in the week when David Miller was withdrawn from the squad following a hamstring issue sustained during the final week of the Hundred. No replacement has been named for him yet.

On a more positive note, the rain-affected match in Cardiff saw the return of several key bowlers. Kagiso Rabada, who had been nursing ankle inflammation, opened the bowling. Marco Jansen also made his comeback after undergoing thumb surgery post the WTC final in June and Lizaad Williams was back in the squad following a long layoff due to knee surgery. Jansen bowled two overs, while Williams was not used during the match.

--IANS

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