South Africa vs India 2018: Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander declared fit for Test series
What's the story?
Ahead of their keenly anticipated Test series against the visiting Indian team, South Africa's pace stocks have received a major boost. Key bowlers Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Chris Morris have been declared fit to play. Dr Shuaib Manjra, head of Cricket South Africa's (CSA) medical committee, confirmed that there are no injury concerns within the Proteas camp.
"Morne is back and fit to play. He is doing fine and he is also expected to play in the international (four-day Test) against Zimbabwe. Even Vernon and Chris Morris are back to bowling. There are no more injury concerns among pacers in the team. The selectors are likely to announce the South African squad for the India series by next week", Dr Manjra told Sportstar.
The context
Philander and Morris had to skip the 2-match Test series against Bangladesh after they suffered injuries during the England tour earlier in the year. Both seamers were sidelined with lower-back problems which they picked up during the third Test at The Oval.
The heart of the matter
Meanwhile, Morne Morkel played the first Test against Bangladesh at Potchefstroom wherein he was forced to leave the field during the second innings. Consequently, a serious tear of the left abdominal muscle ruled him out of contention for the second Test at Bloemfontein.
After undergoing extensive rehabilitation programs, the pace troika returned to action during the Ram Slam T20 Challenge for their respective teams. While Philander and Morkel have also participated in first-class matches in the Sunfoil Series, Morris is yet to make a comeback into red-ball cricket.
With Dale Steyn also confirmed to return to the fray, South Africa are likely to be spoilt for choices when India come visiting for the 3-match Test series. Steyn and former skipper AB de Villiers will return to long-format cricket in the warm-up match between South African Invitation XI and Zimbabwe in Paarl.
What's next?
Before the 3-match Test series against India begins at Cape Town on January 5, South Africa will take on Zimbabwe in a four-day Test match at Port Elizabeth from December 26 onwards.
Author's take
Apart from the trio of Morkel, Philander and Morris, South Africa also have the likes of Steyn and Kagiso Rabada in their pace arsenal. With plenty of world-class seamers at their disposal, it will be interesting to see how the Proteas form their front-line attack. The upcoming Boxing Day Test against Zimbabwe could provide an early indicator of things to come.