Star South Africa cricketer ruled out of Champions Trophy

Just hours after being named in the tri-series opener against New Zealand, Cricket South Africa announced that ace pacer Gerald Coetzee has been ruled out of the series and also from the Champions Trophy, slated to begin on February 19. The 24-year-old injured his left hamstring during the SA20 and was ruled out of the tournament. However, following proper training, he recovered on time and was on course to make his return.

However, during training at the Centre of Excellence in Pretoria, Coetzee experienced tightness in his groin while completing his 10 overs and following medical assessments, he was ruled out of the marquee tournament. To note, he showed symptoms of increased risk of a significant injury. Following which, the team management decided to pull him out and give him a break to recover.

“The 24-year-old experienced tightness in his groin while completing his 10 overs at training on Wednesday morning at the Centre of Excellence in Pretoria. Following further assessment by



the Proteas medical team, it was determined that the symptoms posed an increased risk of significant injury at a higher bowling load required for the upcoming 50-over matches,” CSA’s official statement read.

The selectors noted that a replacement will be announced in due course. In the meantime, several star Proteas cricketers will be missing the opening game of the tri-series against New Zealand. The majority of the cricketers are currently playing in the SA20 and for the same reason, they are not available for selection. However, a couple of cricketers including Heinrich Klaasen and Keshav Maharaj will be joining the squad for the second ODI against Pakistan. 

On the other hand, South Africa named six uncapped players for the New Zealand series.  The likes of Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and Rassie van der Dussen, will miss the entire tri-series as they will arrive in Pakistan on February 14, the day of the final.