World Cup: South Africa's Dale Steyn to miss tournament opener against England

South Africa coach, Ottis Gibson, made it clear that the speedster -- who suffered an injury during the Indian Premier League -- is still not completely fit for the World Cup opener.

Published : May 28, 2019 18:16 IST , London

Dale Steyn will not be available for South Africa’s World Cup opener against England on Thursday.

Speaking to the media in London, the team’s coach, Ottis Gibson made it clear that the speedster -- who suffered an injury during the Indian Premier League -- is still not completely fit for the opener.

“He is not fully ready yet and we feel that in a six-week tournament there is no need to press the issue right now,” Gibson said.

READ: England's Mark Wood cleared for tournament opener

Steyn trained with the squad on Tuesday, but did not bowl. He then walked off the field early in the session. However, he came back later to bat.

He was in the final-15 for the warm-up against West Indies but South Africa batted first before the game was rained off. He did not feature in the game against Sri Lanka.

The team management hopes he will be fit in time to play India on June 5.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment