Rain washes out day’s play at Newlands Test
RAIN washed out day three of the first Test between South Africa and India yesterday, preventing any chance of play in the finely balanced opener to the three-game series between the top two-ranked sides in world cricket.
South Africa were set yesterday morning to resume their second innings on 65 for two, a lead of 142 on what was a lively wicket offering plenty of assistance to the seamers.
Hashim Amla (four) and nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada (two) are the not out batsmen and they will now wait until today to resume their innings.
Fortunately no further rain been forecast for the rest of match.
South Africa were bowled out for 286 in their first innings, before restricting India to 209 in reply on Saturday.
The teams are meeting in a threeTest series this month with matches in Pretoria and Johannesburg to follow.
Meanwhile, Dale Steyn could be sidelined for up to six weeks after injuring a heel while bowling on Saturday.
Steyn‚ who was playing his first Test since November 2016‚ when he fractured a shoulder while bowling at the WACA‚ left the field midway through the last over before the tea interval.
“During Dale’s 18th over‚ in his delivery stride‚ he landed awkwardly in the footholes and this caused a significant strain to the foot‚ leading to tissue damage on the underside of the foot in the heel area‚” South Africa’s team manager and doctor‚ Mohammed Moosajee‚ said.
“He’s unlikely to bowl [again] in this Test match because the recovery period could be anything from four to six weeks‚ which means he could be out for the series.”
There was a glimmer of hope‚ but it wasn’t much.
“We’ll get one of the leading ankle surgeons attached to Cricket South Africa’s medical committee to look at him and give us an opinion‚” Moosajee said.
He was careful to quell speculation that the problem could have been caused by Steyn‚ who before the match had bowled only 12 overs in whites since his shoulder injury‚ had returned to action too soon.
“This type of injury was freakish has the because of the way he landed in the footholes and is in no way related to his bowling loads or not being match ready‚” Moosajee said.
Saturday’s injury marked the third time in Steyn’s last five Tests that he has broken down through injury. — — TimesLIVE / Reuters