The 25-year-old speedster has had a history of injuries to deal with.
Injuries are a frequent part of a fast bowler’s life. Who better to know it from, than Gerald Coetzee. The South African speedster was ruled out of the one-off T20I fixture against Namibia, after suffering a pectoral muscle injury. The pacer bowled nine deliveries in the match against Namibia, after which he couldn’t continue. He picked a solitary wicket and conceded 14 runs.
Though South Africa have a lot more to worry about after their loss to Namibia in the T20I, the availability of Coetzee for their tour to Pakistan will be under serious doubts. The Test series is scheduled to start from October 12, after which the T20Is will take place starting October 29. The Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer is an integral part of South Africa’s plans in T20Is, and they will hope that the injury is a minor one.
In the last week, young speedster Kwena Maphaka was ruled out of South Africa’s one-off T20I against Namibia and their tour to Pakistan, on the back of a hamstring injury. He sustained the injury while playing in a domestic First-class match a few days ago. After their loss to Namibia, it might concern Aiden Markram & Co. a bit that they would be without two of their important assets.
In the last two years, Coetzee has managed to play 13 T20Is, with 14 wickets to his name. But his economy is above the 10-run mark, and he would be aiming to get that down. If he manages to be fit for the series, it would be his maiden against Pakistan in the shortest format.
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Unlike how any fast bowler would love to have it, Gerald Coetzee and injuries have seemed to be a closely knit relationship. The 25-year-old has always found himself around some or the other injury, which has kept him away from the game after frequent intervals. Coetzee was ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy this year, due to a groin injury.
Though he made his return to the national side in Zimbabwe in July later, Coetzee has been a man out of action for a long time, especially in Tests. Since then, Coetzee has featured in the South Africa A side for their games against New Zealand A. Moreover, he was a part of the white-ball squads for the upcoming tour to Pakistan. But with this injury, whether he will board to flight to the Asia would be anyone’s guess.
Despite the two pacers being injured, the Proteas will fly to Pakistan with some hope. Nandre Burger and Lizaad Williams are both back after recovering from a lower back stress fracture and a knee surgery respectively. Lungi Ngidi is also picked for the white-ball series, and will bolster the South African attack. Ngidi was not picked for the Test series, as the Proteas expressed their expectations of spin-friendly pitches.
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