What’s the story?
The South African cricket team received a massive scare during their match against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 held in Birmingham. Captain AB de Villiers was seen clutching his hamstring while fielding in the second innings of the match.
He left the field briefly but made a return shortly after much to the delight of the fans. Speaking at the post-match press conference, coach Russel Domingo provided an update on the injury.
Also Read: South Africa vs Pakistan, 5 things South Africa did wrong on the night
"Obviously he did pick up a little bit of a niggle with his hamstring today, but the medical team will look at him. I can't comment on it until they have had a look at it. But I'm by no means concerned. I'm expecting him to put in a big performance on Sunday. He's that type of player; that when the team needs him he'll turn it up on Sunday. I'm sure about that," said Domingo.
"The hamstring is okay, felt a little tweak and will check it out tomorrow but doesn't look anything serious," confirmed de Villiers.
In case you didn’t know...
It was a day to forget for the Proteas as the suffered a defeat against Pakistan who won the match by 19 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system. The Pakistani bowlers were on song as they ripped through the South African top order.
ABD was dismissed for a golden duck for the first time in his career as he looked to slash a wide delivery for four but was caught at point.
South Africa managed to score a meagre 219 in their 50 overs with the loss of 8 wickets. Coming out to bat, Pakistan were on the attack right from the word go and ensured they stayed above the par of the D/L/S method.
The Details:
With one win out of two games for both the sides, Pakistan and South Africa are currently on two points each with the Proteas 2nd on the table due to their superior net run rate. If India go on to defeat Sri Lanka in their ongoing match, they will qualify for the semifinals leaving both South Africa and Pakistan battling it out for the 2nd spot.
What’s Next?
India will take on South Africa on June 11 while Pakistan will face Sri Lanka the very next day in what could be a do-or-die encounter for both the sides.
Author’s Take:
The South African cricket team and their fans would breathe a huge sigh of relief with their captain confirming that his injury is not too serious. Despite not performing in the first two matches, de Villiers will play a vital role in SA’s match against the Men in Blue and we could expect him to go all out and not spare the Indian bowlers.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download Cric Rocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more!
