England Vs South Africa 2017 – Graeme Smith Not Too Pleased With Vernon Philander’s Fitness
Aug 5, 2017 at 3:13 PM
In the last year or so, South Africa have been marred by countless injury and absentee woes. At first, it was the career threatening shoulder injury to Dale Steyn in early 2016 against England at home, which came as a major blow. Later that year, just as Steyn was nearing his best Down Under, that injury relapsed, and the legendary pacer still is on the path to rehab and faces an uncertain future.
Later, it was the self-imposed exile from AB de Villiers in Tests, which dented the team massively. Now though, during the side’s ongoing tour of England, the injury woes to pacer Vernon Philander are a serious headache. With South Africa 2-1 down and the final Test at Old Trafford underway, Philander’s injury acts as a major setback to the Proteas.
Former skipper Graeme Smith was far from being a pleased Proteas supporter, as he openly questioned Philander’s fitness, considering how often the pacer has been injured in recent times.
“This whole series, it’s been a struggle to keep Vernon on the field. It gets frustrating when you’ve got a senior player and an outstanding performer like him and fitness is becoming an issue,” Smith said. “It raises questions about whether he is fit enough to be picked in the first place.”
Admitting that veteran Hashim Amla was facing a serious challenge, Smith said,
“The challenge for Hashim at this stage of his career is that there is a lot of pressure on him to perform in that No. 3 position with the other batters struggling to find their feet.” “In a lineup where he had myself, Kallis, AB and everyone else, there was maybe not as much pressure on him. So this is a new challenge to him at this stage of his career.”