Vernon Philander to Miss First-Class Match Ahead of Tests Against Bangladesh
Sep 15, 2017 at 3:31 PM
A Cricket South Africa directive has ruled out Proteas speedster Vernon Philander from Cobras opening first class encounter against the Knights in Bloemfontein.
Philander is in the final phase of his rehabilitation process from the back injury which he suffered during the England tour and is the 2nd fast bowler after Dale Steyn to be sidelined for the round of matches.
With the four-day game being the only practice game ahead of the two match Test series against Bangladesh starting on September 28, he is likely to be doubtful for the opening Test. He was part of the pre season camp in Oudtshoorn, but wasn’t part of the warm-up matches. Philander hasn’t got any match practice since the Oval Test against South Africa, as his performance was hampered due to a stomach bug.
He recovered in time to feature in the final Test, but further suffered lower back spasms on the morning of the match only to be left out of the team. Former captain Graeme Smith lashed out at Philander for his below par fitness level. Smith stated that if Philander doesn’t solve his fitness issues, then his career might be at risk of fading away pretty quickly unless he paid better attention to mental and physical conditioning.
Philander was pretty unhappy with Smith’s public comments and requested a meeting with the former captain which was to take place in Cape Town at the end of the series. It is not known whether the meeting has taken place, but Philander has more issues on his agenda. South Africa’s newly appointed coach Ottis Gibson might not be pleased with Philander’s absence, as he had insisted that all the national players make themselves available for the first-class match ahead of the Test series.