South Africa’s right-arm fast bowler Lungi Ngidi has been ruled out of the forthcoming three-match One Day International series against Australia due to a right hamstring injury.
The ODI series is scheduled to begin on September 24 in Durban, with subsequent matches taking place on September 27 in Johannesburg and September 30 in Potchefstroom, according to the ICC website.
Ngidi sustained discomfort during a domestic first-class match and underwent scans, which revealed the need for a rehabilitation period. This injury represents an additional alteration to the South African squad following the earlier withdrawal of Kagiso Rabada and Ottneil Baartman due to injuries.
Last week, Ngidi bowled eight overs in the Dolphins’ first innings and 8.3 overs in the second innings, fewer than fellow frontline pacers Marco Jansen and Beyers Swanepoel, who bowled 26 and 20.3 overs respectively. His availability for the ICC World Test Championship series against Australia, beginning on October 9, will be assessed closer to that date.
In Ngidi’s place, the South African team has named young pacer Nqobani Mokoena as his replacement. Mokoena debuted in the recent ODI series against Namibia, playing in two matches and taking one wicket. He was representing the Dolphins in a first-class match against Western Province, where he bowled 19 overs on the first day and achieved figures of 1/78 before being withdrawn to join the national squad.
The updated South African squad for the ODI series is: Temba Bavuma (captain), Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Bjorn Fortuin, Duan Jansen, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Nqobani Mokoena, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs.