 Kallis had been named in South Africa's one-day squad to face England |
South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has a fractured rib and will miss his side's one-day international series against England. The injury only showed up after a scan on Saturday, although it is thought the 34-year-old suffered it during the Champions League in India last month. "He just wasn't getting better from that injury," said coach Mickey Arthur. South Africa intend to call up a replacement batsman but hope to have Kallis back for December's first Test. Arthur admitted even that may be a "grey area" regarding the return of Kallis, and expressed disappointment at losing him. "We had him re-scanned this morning," said Arthur, "and found there is a fracture in the cartilage of the rib - which clearly affects his performances for the next four weeks."  | The priority for us is the Test matches, and we need to get Jacques fit and ready for them |
The first one-day clash between South Africa and England is now set to get under way at Centurion on Sunday, following Friday's wash-out at The Wanderers, and Hashim Amla will replace Kallis at the top of the order, alongside captain Graeme Smith. "We have groomed Hashim Amla to open the batting in one-day cricket - and he will be a more than adequate replacement," Arthur predicted. Kallis now has a month to get himself fit for the Test series, due to begin at Centurion on 16 December. "The priority for us is the Test matches, and we need to get him fit and ready for them," the coach explained. | 606: DEBATE |
"The balance he brings to our Test side is huge, so he wasn't going to do a hell of a lot of bowling in the one-dayers anyway. "We would play Jacques as a batter only in Tests if need be. He is among the top five batters in world cricket, so we could certainly do that. "He will have an injection to speed the recovery up, but the first Test might be a grey area. For the second onwards, there are no issues."
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