South African All-Rounder, Dwaine Pretorius, Ruled Out of the T20 World Cup

Dwaine Pretorius: A big blow for South Africa as all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius has been ruled out from the India ODIs as well as the T20 World Cup due to a fracture in his left thumb. He picked up the injury in the 3^rd T20I against India, which was the only game South Africa won in the series.

This is South Africa’s second injury before the much-awaited T20 World Cup. Before Pretorius, Rassie Van der Dussen was ruled out with a broken finger. Dussen got injured against England in the second Test in Manchester and is most likely to return against Australia in December.

Replacement for Pretorius

Another South African speedster, Marco Jensen, has been added to the ODI squad. Andile Phehlukwayo and Bjorn Fortuin are also part of the three-man reserves’ list for the T20 World Cup. The right-arm fast bowler is most likely to replace Pretorius in the World Cup as well.

Pretorius’s performance in the recent T20I series

Dwaine Pretorius played just one game against India and bowled an excellent spell with 3 wickets for 26 in 3.3 overs. The all-rounder took the important wickets of Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Chahar, who were looking dangerous in the final T20. He was all set to roar in the upcoming major tournament, but the injury will now force him to sit out.

South Africa’s combination for the World Cup

Temba Bavuma will lead the Africans at the World Cup. The skipper will most likely be the one to open the innings as per the announcement made by CSA. Though his recent T20 form is not good at all, Bavuma will likely get back in touch before the tournament. We can expect changes at the top of the order if his form remains the same.

Not having Dwaine Pretorius is a blow for South Africa, but they still have the services of another fast-bowling all-rounder in the form of Wayne Parnell. Firstly, the visitors would be hoping to end the India tour on a high before aiming for better performance in the T20 World Cup. They won the first ODI on Thursday and will look to wrap up the series in the second match, which will take place on Sunday in Ranchi.