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
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.