Kirsten joins growing SA injury list

Gary Kirsten joined the list of South African walking wounded on Tuesday with a hand injury that could keep him out of the third Test match against Sri Lanka.

Kirsten missed the third Standard Bank one-day international against Sri Lanka after X-rays revealed a cracked middle metacarpal in his left hand. It is not entirely clear how long he will be out of action, but South Africa physiotherapist Craig Smith warned that there was a possibility that Kirsten might not be fit for the third Test match.

Kirsten was the third member of the South African squad to miss Tuesday's match. Allan Donald is still recovering from having an abscess in his right elbow drained and is not expected to be able to play in the fourth ODI at Newlands on Thursday while Roger Telemachus was also ruled out on Tuesday with a stiff neck.

All being well, Telemachus could have recovered by Thursday, which might be just as well. Alan Dawson, who was drafted into the squad when Telemachus reported his injury, felt a twinge in his right hamstring on Tuesday, although he will stay with the squad.

Further afield, and with the third Test in mind, Mfuneko Ngam is "a bit of a worry", according to Smith. He has felt pain in his right thigh and there is, says Smith, a "hot spot". Ngam will have an MRI scan this week to establish whether he is carrying a soft tissue injury or something more serious.

There are no plans at this stage to draft new players into the squad, but all that may change within 24 hours.