Philander ruled out of first two England Tests
South Africa seamer Vernon Philander has been ruled out of the first two Tests of the upcoming four-match series at home against England, while fellow paceman Dale Steyn will undergo a fitness test on his groin injury.
The 30 year-old Philander injured his ankle before the second Test in the recent Test series in India and will not have recovered sufficiently for the start of the games against England, which gets underway on Boxing Day in Durban.
Steyn also missed the last three matches on the India tour after he could not recover from a groin strain he picked in the first Test against the Asian side.
The Proteas management though are confident that Steyn will have enough time to recover and play in the game the day after Christmas.
South Africa coach Russell Domingo does not want the selectors to make panic decisions regarding team selections after their three-nil drubbing in the Test series in India, but there are few places up for grabs within the starting line up.
The opening batsman berth has still not been solved while the balance of the bowling attack will have to be addressed.
Domingo said after arriving back from India: "There might be one or two changes based on the brief and informal discussions I've had with the selectors.
"I'd hate us to panic and make irrational decisions because we have some quality players. India were better than us, that's the bottom line."
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