DAD-TO-BE FAF COULD MISS LORD’S

SOUTH AFRICA captain Faf du Plessis could miss the first Test against England at Lord’s to attend the birth of his first child in Cape Town. Du Plessis’ wife Imari is expecting to give birth early next month and the Lord’s Test starts on July 6. If he does go home, the captaincy would pass to Hashim Amla, who has already led his country in 14 Tests, the most recent of them against England at Cape Town in January 2016, when he made a double century. With AB de Villiers already missing from the four-match series because of his desire to ensure he is fresh enough to make an impact at the 2019 World Cup, the absence of Du Plessis would leave an alarming hole in South Africa’s middle order. He has averaged 57 with the bat since taking on the captaincy in time for the visit of New Zealand last August, and has led South Africa to four series wins out of four, including a 2-1 triumph in Australia in November. Du Plessis and four others — Amla, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy and Kagiso Rabada — are all sitting out this week’s three-match, Twenty20 series against England.