da pinup bet： South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith will almost certainly miss thethird Test in Cape Town after suffering a fracture to his right handduring South Africa’s first innings at Kingsmead
Brydon Coverdale in Durban07-Mar-2009
Graeme Smith will be out of action for two to three weeks due to a fractured finger © AFP
South Africa’s captain Graeme Smith will almost certainly miss thethird Test in Cape Town after suffering a fracture to his right handduring South Africa’s first innings at Kingsmead. Smith is likely tomiss two to three weeks with what was diagnosed as an undisplacedfracture at the base of his little finger.He suffered the blow while fending off a rising 150kph ball fromMitchell Johnson in the third over of South Africa’s first innings andhe did not face another delivery before retiring hurt for 2. The SouthAfricans, who have no official vice-captain with Ashwell Prince not inthe side, have yet to decide who will lead the team in the field inthe second innings.The incident was a virtual mirror image of what happened in thememorable Sydney Test in January, when a brutal Johnson ball gaveSmith a similar fracture in almost exactly the same spot on his left hand. Smith returned at the fall of the ninth wicket at the SCG in abrave but unsuccessful attempt to save the Test, before he took amonth off to let the injury heal properly.Smith might attempt to bat in the secondinnings in Durban if, as at Sydney, his team has any chance of savingor winning the game. But despite the long gap between Tests he isunlikely to play the third Test in Cape Town, which begins on March19, and South Africa are aiming to have him available for the one-day series that follows.”It’s a huge blow for us to have our captain out of the side, especially for the last Test,” the spinner Paul Harris said. “It’s a massive blow. But he’ll be there with us in the change-room I’m sure for the last Test and for this Test and giving us his guidance as he normally does and giving us his pep-talks as he normally does. We’ll have to make do without him and unfortunately that’s the way it is.”