Kagiso Rabada is ruled out of South Africa’s ODI series against Australia with a hamstring injury and remains doubtful for the three-match Test series.
South Africa suffered a major blow ahead of their marquee home summer, as pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada has been ruled out of the upcoming white-ball series against Australia. The 31-year-old is set to undergo treatment for an acute muscle injury which threatens to rule him out of the Proteas’ next three-match Test series.
“His availability for the three-match Test series against Australia will depend on how he progresses through his rehabilitation, with a decision on his selection to be made closer to the series,” Cricket South Africa confirmed.
The injury crisis comes at the worst possible time for a Proteas side eager to get their southern hemisphere rivalry with Australia underway. The three-match ODI series in Durban kicks off on 24 September, with the five-day contest starting on 9 October at Kingsmead before heading to Gqeberha and Cape Town
Hamstring Strain Threatens Ten-Week Recovery Timeline
Medical scans confirmed that that the 31-year-old had suffered a significant right hamstring strain during recent pre-season conditioning drills – a serious soft-tissue injury requiring lengthy recovery. The domestic bowling coach Allan Donald warned that it would be a minimum of ten weeks before Rabada would be ready to resume bowling.
A rushed return for one of the world’s premier fast bowlers can lead to further injury. Test cricketers regularly suffer recurring hamstring strains when they return to action before the healing process is complete. The Board’s medical officials will conduct sequential ultrasound scans on the bowler over the coming fortnight, before team management give clearance for Test cricket if he can bowl at full intensity without experiencing stiffness.
Proteas Pace Battery Struggles To Replace Rabada’s Australian Dominance
South Africa lose their most feared bowler in limited-overs cricket against their fiercest rivals. The right-arm quick has a stellar record against Australia, taking 52 scalps across eleven Tests at an average of 21.39. His nine-wicket haul in the Proteas historic triumph at Lord’s showcased his ability to dismantle world-class batting line-ups at will.
His absence threatens to place an unenviable target on the back of South Africa’s second seamer. Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje and Gerald Coetzee all possess raw pace, but none have Rabada’s trademark accuracy with the new ball or mastery of reverse swing on South Africa’s subcontinental surfaces. Australia can take heart that they may well have avoided the world’s premier strike bowler when they visit South Africa next month.
