Faf out of ODI and T20 series
BLOW: PROTEAS CAPTAIN HAS FRACTURED FINGER With second ODI being a day game, moisture not a factor.
Proteas captain Faf du Plessis will miss the remainder of the One-Day International (ODI) series and upcoming T20 International series against India due to a finger injury.
Du Plessis injured his right index finger during the first ODI at Kingsmead on Thursday, with further assessment and investigation revealing a fracture which will require 3-6 weeks to heal.
Du Plessis will undergo a period of rest and rehabilitation with the aim of being fit for the first Test match against Australia starting in Durban on March 1.
The selectors have included Farhaan Behardien as Du Plessis’ replacement, with Titans wicketkeeper batsman, Heinrich Klaasen, earning his maiden ODI callup as a reserve wicketkeeper in the squad.
The captain for the remainder of the ODI series will be announced today. SA are trailing the six-match ODI series 1-0.
The Proteas head to Centurion tomorrow for the second ODI against India with concerns over pitches following their comprehensive defeat in the first match of the series in Durban.
The South African batting lineup once again stumbled against spin as Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal bowled 20 overs and shared five wickets while conceding 79 runs, restricting the home side to a total of just 269 which proved wholly inadequate in the face of centurion Virat Kohli’s brilliance, with superb support from Ajinkya Rahane.
Proteas captain Faf du Plessis, who made a defiant 120, agreed that the two wrist-spinners had been their undoing.
“We didn’t bat very well as a unit, when the second top score is 30-something that shows you haven’t had any major partnerships, which is the most basic thing to put pressure back on the opposition. The Indian spinners bowled well, but we should have been better. We needed 300; 269 was never going to be enough.
“It suited the spinners, but we need to play well in all conditions, international cricketers need to adapt and we didn’t.
“It takes one or two games to get used to mystery wrist-spinners and hopefully we will get better at playing them. The game is moving towards wrist-spin because of their ability to take wickets through the middle overs,” Du Plessis said after the six-wicket defeat.
He was confident conditions would be different at Centurion tomorrow.