New SA coach Russell Domingo most likely to start tenure without Dale Steyn

Domingo may not have the services of Steyn for his first assignment

Newly appointed SA coach Russell Domingo might have to take charge of his first tour without speedster Dale Steyn in his team.

According to South African team manager Mohammed Moosajee, “Steyn needs about three weeks of rehabilitation” for the side strain injury sustained in the warm up matches of the just concluded Champions Trophy, which is most likely to rule him out of the team’s tour of Sri Lanka that begins on July 20.

Domingo is set to announce his squad on Thursday, which is scheduled to play five ODIs and three T20s in Sri Lanka. He is also expected to retain the same set of support staff who worked under Kirsten, with a couple more likely to be added.

However, both Morne Morkel and Marchant De Lange have been declared fit and are expected to be included in the squad, which will bring in some relief for the coach.

Roelef van der Merwe and Imran Tahir will be in contention to bolster the spin department if the team management prefers an extra spinner for the Sri Lankan conditions. As far as the batting department is concerned, Colin Ingram’s position is the only one that is in threat.