By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Proteas left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has been ruled out of the remaining two one-day internationals against Pakistan.
Maharaj is also doubtful for the crucial two-test home series against the sub-continent side that starts on December 26.
He has a left adductor strain and will miss the 50-over fixtures in Cape Town on Thursday and Johannesburg on Sunday, but of much greater concern will be the 34-year-old’s availability for the test series.
Maharaj had limped off just before the toss for the first game, and was last moment replaced by pace-bowling allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo in South Africa’s XI.
Maharaj’s injury adds to an already lengthy list of missing bowlers for South Africa. The hosts are already without Anrich Nortje (fractured toe), Gerald Coetzee (groin), Lungi Ngidi (hip), Nandre Burger (lower back), and Wiaan Mulder (broken finger).
Should Maharaj be unavailable, the only specialist spinner in the test squad is the less experienced Senuran Muthusamy. Bjorn Fortuin has been named as his replacement for the final two ODIs.
South Africa are top of the World Test Championship table and need victory in one of their two remaining matches against Pakistan to guarantee a place at the Lord’s final in June next year.