Dale Steyn ruled out of World Cup opener: Details here
What's the story
South Africa have been dealt with a setback ahead of their ICC World Cup 2019 campaign as pacer Dale Steyn was ruled out of their opening game against England on Thursday. Steyn, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury, has not yet been medically cleared to bowl, while team coach, Ottis Gibson said that he is getting closer to being ready. Here's more.
No warm-ups
Steyn has not had proper warm-up in England
Steyn has not had a proper warm-up session as of yet. While he was in the warm-up squad against Windies, the match was washed out. Later, he was not in the line-up against Sri Lanka. "He is not fully ready yet and we feel that in a six-week tournament there is no need to press the issue right now," said coach Ottis Gibson.
Mild training
Steyn participated in mild training on Tuesday
Steyn participated in the mandatory training session with the South African squad on Tuesday. However, it was a light session for him as he decided to bowl with a short run-up and no real pace in the ball. He was also quick to wrap up his session and leave, while he did not come out to bat later.
Confidence
Aiden Markram unhappy with Steyn missing out World Cup opener
While Steyn is South Africa's trump card in their World Cup campaign, there is uncertainty regarding Steyn's fitness. Meanwhile, batsman Aiden Markram expressed his grief over Steyn missing out the opener, besides worrying about Kagiso Rabada's recovery as well. "Whenever you're reading about KG [Kagiso Rabada] and Dale going through injuries, as a South African it's never nice to read that," Aiden Markram said.
Quote
Markram confident of players recovering in time for World Cup
"From what I have heard, they seem like they are doing well and they are on a good road to be fully recovered by the time the World Cup starts, or if not, at least within the first few games," added Markram.
Re-injury
Steyn re-injured his right shoulder during IPL 2019
Steyn has a long-standing issue with his right shoulder, which had got dislocated in November 2016. Since then, Steyn has struggled to get back to proper fitness. He has been in and out of the side owing to the recurrence of the injury. The latest recurrence happened during the IPL 2019, while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, as he was called back home early.
Author's take
Chris Morris or Dwaine Pretorius to fill in for Steyn
As South Africa get set for their opening game on Thursday at The Oval, they have a task at hand to find the perfect replacement for Steyn. The author believes that another fellow pacer in the form of all-rounder Chris Morris or Dwaine Pretorius would take up his spot. The attack would be led by fellow pacers Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo.