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South African batter Rassie van der Dussen is not expected to partake in the third and final Test against England after suffering a fracture to his finger. The right-handed batter sustained the injury while batting in the first innings on Thursday (August 25) at Old Trafford, Manchester.
Facing a hefty deficit of 254 runs in the second innings, the middle-order batter came out to bat at No.5 with the score reading 54-3. After spending a portion of Day 2 off the field to nurse the injury, van der Dussen came out to bat with some light strapping on his right wrist and a metal splint on his index finger.
Speaking after the end of the contest, Dean Elgar confirmed that van der Dussen is likely to be ruled out due to a fracture on his finger. The Proteas skipper said in the post-match presentation:
"From what I heard Rassie got a fracture in his finger, I am not a medical expert but he is ruled out of the series."
Cricket South Africa confirmed Elgar's statement and officially ruled the batter out of the series. Their tweet read:
"Proteas batter Rassie van der Dussen has been ruled out for the remainder of the Test series against England due to a fracture of his left index finger."
This is the second major injury for the Proteas on the tour so far. Right before the commencement of the Test series, pace bowler Duanne Olivier was ruled out of the series due to a hamstring injury.
Van der Dussen scored a resilient 41 in the second innings
Despite the injury, the Pretoria-born player played a fighting knock of 41 runs off 132 deliveries laden with five fours. The middle-order batter also scored 16 runs off 31 deliveries in the first innings where the Proteas were bundled out for 151 on Day 1.
England clawed their way back into the series with a spirited performance in the second Test at Old Trafford. The innings and 85 run victory levels the series at 1-1 with one more contest to be played in the ongoing tour.
The Dean Elgar-led side will take on England in the third Test on September 8 (Thursday) at The Oval, London.
Who will win the Test series between England and South Africa? Let us know what you think.
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