South Africa lose key pacer to injury ahead of West Indies tour
South Africa’s young gun will miss the two World Test Championship matches against West Indies to be played in August.
Gerald Coetzee will miss the upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies due to a strain on his left side.
The injury occurred while Coetzee was playing for the Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket earlier this month. After returning to South Africa for further evaluation, he has not been cleared by medical staff to participate in the series, which begins on August 7.
The uncapped Migael Pretorius has been named as Coetzee's replacement. At 29 years old, Pretorius has yet to make his international debut for South Africa, although he was previously called up for the series against Sri Lanka back in 2020.
Every Gerald Coetzee wicket from the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup | CWC23
With over nine years of domestic cricket experience, Pretorius has accumulated 188 wickets in 64 first-class matches.
Updated South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Migael Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne.
The series between West Indies and South Africa will be a part of the World Test Championship cycle. The Windies are currently languishing at the bottom of the table with a point percentage of 22.22 following consecutive losses to England. Meanwhile, the Proteas are positioned 7th with a point percentage of 25%.
ALSO SEE: Latest World Test Championship standings
Schedule:
First Test: 7-11 August, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago
Second Test: 15-19 August, Guyana National Stadium, Guyana