Hours after being included in the Tri-series opener against New Zealand, Cricket South Africa announced that star pacer Gerald Coetzee has been ruled out of the whole series and also the Champions Trophy, set to commence on February 19. The 24-year-old injured his left hamstring during the SA20 and got ruled out of the tournament. But after proper training, he made a timely recovery and was set for his return.
In any case, during the training session held at the Centre of Excellence in Pretoria, Coetzee progressed through 10 overs, and tightness was reported in the groin; subsequent medical evaluations assured his unavailability for the marquee tournament. To note, he was showing signs of increased risk to the condition leading to a significant injury. Subsequently, team management acted upon and excluded him from the tournament, allowing time for recovery.
“Coetzee complained of groin tightness on Wednesday morning at the completion of his 10 overs in training at the Centre of Excellence in Pretoria. Following further assessment by the Proteas medical team, it was determined that the symptoms posed an increased risk of significant injury at a higher bowling load required for the upcoming 50-over matches,” CSA’s official statement read.
Selectors have noted that a replacement will be announced in due course. In the meantime, some star Proteas cricketers will miss the opening game of the tri-series against New Zealand. Most of the cricketers are currently playing in the SA20 and are not being made available for selection. However, a couple of cricketers, such as Heinrich Klaasen and Keshav Maharaj, will be joining the squad for the 2nd ODI against Pakistan.
