OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Monday 8.00pm.
KENT fast bowler Dean Headley has been officially ruled out of the remainder of England’s tour to South Africa after further consultations on his troublesome back confirmed a stress fracture.
Headley has been restricted to just 1.4 overs since arriving with the rest of the England party a month ago after sustaining a back spasm in the opening match at Randjesfontein and was diagnosed as having a suspected stress fracture last weekend.
England sent him for a further consultation to confirm the diagnosis, which will involve a two to three-month rest cure, and he will fly out on Tuesday.
His place in the 17-strong party will be taken by Yorkshire fast bowler Chris Silverwood, who was drafted in from the A party as cover and will now become a full-time member of the squad for the remainder of the trip.
Headley said: ”I have to get my body right. It will be the first break from cricket I’ve had for six years and I’m taking that as a positive out of this.
”I’ll be getting a break for the first time in ages and hopefully I can come back rejuvenated.
”I’ve been on tours before and there is nothing worse than being a bystander and that is not what I came out here for.
”The job that fast bowlers do is probably an unnatural action for the body and if you play for hard enough and long enough the law of averages says you will get injured if you’re a fast bowler.”
His withdrawal represents a major turnaround in fortunes for Headley, who returned from last winter’s Ashes series as the second-highest England wicket-taker in the Tests. But he was overlooked for the World Cup and was restricted to just two Tests against New Zealand last summer.
He said: ”I’m extremely disappointed by the whole thing because I was really looking forward to this series and now I will have to fight my way back next summer, which is only right because nobody should have a divine right to play for their international team.” — The Guardian