South African batsman JP Duminy’s participation in March’s ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka remains in doubt.
Duminy is nursing a shoulder injury that has prevented participation in competitive cricket since October 2018.
He will not feature in the Cape Cobras’ One-Day Cup fixture against the Knights on Tuesday.
‘Proteas all-rounder JP Duminy’s throwing is not strong enough as a result of his shoulder injury and he won’t be considered for selection for the match against the Knights,’ said Cobras physiotherapist Shane Jabaar.
Head coach Ashwell Prince added: ‘Duminy’s batting is looking as strong as ever but he feels uncertain about his bowling and his fielding. He prides himself in his throwing arm and his ability to throw himself around in the field. He wants to make sure he can field as good as ever, and bowl.’
The Cobras will attempt to recover from a three-wicket defeat to the Warriors at Boland Park in Paarl earlier this month.
‘If we are honest, we scored a decent 276 runs, but we were probably 15 runs too short. Every time we got going with the bat against the Warriors, we lost a wicket. We could have compiled one partnership of 150 and one of a 100. If we did that, a score of 300 instead of 276 would have been within reach,’ added Prince.
‘We had a couple of 50-, 60- and 70-run partnerships which could have been converted into something more substantial.’
Jabaar concluded: ‘George Linde had a hamstring niggle after the opening match against the Warriors, but practiced on Friday and Sunday. He is making fantastic progress and will be available for selection in Bloemfontein.
‘Mthiwekhaya Nabe has a suspected rib fracture and will probably be only considered for the 1 March match, while batsman Simon Khomari has a severe chronic rotator cuff injury which causes a dysfunction of the movement pattern. He is making good progress, though.’
Photo: Gallo