Proteas face injury blow ahead of new World Test Championship cycle

Cardiff [UK], September 11 (ANI): South Africa is battling a pair of fresh injury concerns just one month out from their first match in the new ICC World Test Championship cycle, as per the ICC website.

Key pacer Lungi Ngidi hurt his hamstring at a training session prior to the Proteas' T20I series against England. At the same time, experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj injured his groin during the warm-up for the opening match of that series.

The pair played a significant role in helping South Africa to a first World Test Championship mace at Lord's in June and have little time to recover ahead of the side's opening fixture of the new cycle against Pakistan that commences in Lahore on October 12.

While the extent of Maharaj's groin problem is still to be determined, the Proteas confirmed Ngidi had strained his right hamstring and would return to South Africa immediately.

"Proteas Men's fast bowler Lungi Ngidi has been ruled out of the T20 International (T20I) series against England with a right hamstring strain," South Africa said in a statement as quoted from the ICC website.

"He sustained the injury during training on Tuesday at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, and subsequent scans confirmed its extent. Ngidi will return home on Thursday. Nandre Burger has been named as his replacement and will join the squad ahead of the second T20I in Manchester."

The Proteas were successful in the rain-interrupted first T20I against England by 14 runs in the first T20 via the DLS method in Cardiff, with the remaining two matches in the series to be held in Manchester on Friday and Nottingham on Sunday.

Brief Scores: South Africa 97/5 (Aiden Markram 28, Donovan Ferreira 25*; Luke Wood 2-22). Vs England 54/5 (Jos Buttler 25, Sam Curran 10*; Marco Jansen 2-18). (ANI)

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