South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has been ruled out for up to six weeks due to a lower back injury that he sustained while batting in the third and final ODI against Bangaldesh at Buffalo Park in East London on Sunday (October 22).
The initial diagnosis ruled him out of the T20I series with JP Duminy given the captaincy and Dwaine Pretorius named as replacement for the three games, starting from October 26.
The South Africa team manager Dr. Mohammed Moosajee confirmed the latest development, that will keep du Plessis out for longer and only allow him to return for the four-day Test against Zimbabwe in December. The 33-year-old will need to utilise the weeks preceding that fixture to undergo rehabilitation.
“Faf consulted with our team of specialists in Cape Town on Monday. Further investigations and assessment have confirmed an acute lumbar disc injury. He will require a period of rest and rehabilitation for the next six weeks. We anticipate him to be ready for the Test match against Zimbabwe in December,” Moosajee said.
Du Plessis was batting on 91 when he sustained the strain to his lower back. The South African skipper was attended to by the physio before he had to retire hurt. Such was the nature of the strain, that he couldn’t walk and had to be carried off the field by David Miller.
