LONDON: South Africa paceman Dale Steyn bowled at full intensity in the nets yesterday, raising hopes he will be fit for the crunch Champions Trophy game against West Indies tomorrow.
Steyn missed the Proteas’ opening two matches of the tournament with a side strain, but came through the side’s net session in which he bowled at full pace.
“Dale is progressing quite well, he came through his net session today without any discomfort but the challenge is to watch him overnight to see if he wakes up with any stiffness,” team manager Mohammed Moosajee said in a Cricket South Africa statement.
“If he comes through tomorrow’s (Thursday) net practice he should be available for selection.”
They need to beat West Indies in Cardiff to reach the semi-finals.
If Steyn is fit, South Africa will have something of a selection dilemma.
Their three seamers - Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Chris Morris and Ryan McLaren - performed admirably against Pakistan. If the team management’s hand was forced, Morris would probably be culled purely because of his inexperience.
South Africa lost their Group B opener to India by 26 runs, but bounced back with a 67-run win over Pakistan on Monday.
AGENCIES
