South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis was today ruled out of the ongoing ODI series and the upcoming Twenty20 Internationals against India owing to a finger injury, a massive blow to the home side which lost the first one-dayer in Durban
South African batsman Faf du Plessis plays a shot during the first One Day International cricket match between South Africa and India at Kingsmead cricket ground on February 1, 2018 in Durban. Pic/AFP
ADVERTISEMENT
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis was today ruled out of the ongoing ODI series and the upcoming Twenty20 Internationals against India owing to a finger injury, a massive blow to the home side which lost the first one-dayer in Durban. Du Plessis was injured during the Durban ODI in which he scored his ninth hundred to take the Proteas to 269/8. India chased down that total with ease winning by six wickets and taking a 1-0 lead.
"I just got a blow (to my finger), so hopefully it will be fine for the next game," du Plessis had said in the post-match conference on Thursday. However, further assessment revealed that he had sustained a fracture that will require 3-6 weeks to heal, thus ruling him out of the remaining five ODIs and three T20Is. A replacement captain for the rest of the limited-overs' schedule against India will be named Tomorrow, just 24 hours before the second ODI here. Farhaan Behardien has been called up as du Plessis' replacement. Also, wicket-keeper batsman Heinrich Klaasen has also been given a maiden call-up to the ODI squad as back-up to first-choice Quinton de Kock.
Du Plessis is now facing a race against time to be fit for the first Test against Australia starting in Durban on March 1. This a huge blow for the Proteas who had earlier lost batting mainstay AB de Villiers for the first three ODIs, also owing to a finger injury sustained during the third Test at Wanderers.
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here
Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
