The poor weather affecting the north of England prevented the Standard Bank South African ODI Squad from training in Manchester on Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s NatWest Series match against England at Old Trafford.
The squad was due to train under floodlights, but continuous light rain kept them from the nets. The option of practicing indoors was turned down as the bounce and pace of the rubberised surface is vastly different to the real thing.
Captain Graeme Smith was not going to take part in any event as he is suffering from a shoulder injury. Smith twice fell heavily whilst attempting to take catches in the deep offered by Travis Friend in South Africa’s 46 run win over Zimbabwe at Canterbury on Sunday As the team spent six hours on the coach travelling up to Manchester from Canterbury on Tuesday, Physiotherapist Shane Jabaar was only able to treat Smith in the evening.
He then went for an MRI scan, an X-Ray and an ultra sound on Tuesday morning but all three returned negative.
Jabaar said:” It is a general injury to the gleno-humeral complex of the left shoulder, and I will be treating him extensively tonight [Tuesday] and tomorrow to try and get him ready for Thursday’s game. The level and depth of treatment will depend largely on Graeme’s reaction to it.”
Smith was philosophical about his injury.
”It’s not the best preparation for the next match, but Shane and I have been working extremely hard and will continue this evening. I had a couple of injections today which seem to have helped as well as I’m not feeling nearly as much pain,” he said.
A decision regarding Smith’s fitness for the game will only be taken on Thursday morning with the match against England being a day/night game, starting at 2:30.
Meanwhile, members of the squad were able to get a feel for one of the biggest football clubs in the world when they were taken on a tour of Old Trafford, the home of English league champions Manchester United.
Among the United supporters are Shaun Pollock and coach Eric Simons who were quick to tease Liverpool fan Graeme Smith. ”Know what this trophy is Biff? ” as they pointed to the gleaming silver Premiership Trophy. Only United, Arsenal and Blackburn have won the trophy in its ten-year existence.
The players were shown the directors’ box, the players pitch side dugout, the huge three-tiered North Stand and the dressing rooms. Pollock found the corner occupied, until recently by the world’s most glamorous footballer, David Beckham.
”Where did the boss kick the boot from?” asked Pollock in reference to the infamous dressing room spat between United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his superstar player last season. Blackburn Rovers supporter Alan Dawson was most interested in the pitch, which resembled a beach as it is in the midst of being re-laid. Dawson is a landscape gardener and observed the process with interest.
”I’d hate to guess what it costs to re-turf this ground, it’s bad enough having to do a lawn back home, this has got to be perfect and survive the English winter,” said the seamer.
Surviving the wet summers is the problem faced by United’s near neighbours, Lancashire County Cricket club, where the South Africans will be training on Wednesday morning.
Easterns fast bowler, Andre Nel, who has been playing for English County Northamptonshire for the past two months, will join the squad on Wednesday morning. Nel well be eligible to play for South Africa again on Saturday.
The last match of his six match suspension is the game at Old Trafford on Thursday. He was suspended for six Internationals after being disciplined for a drinking and driving incident in Hobart in April while on tour with the SA ‘A’ team.
Thursday sees SA face an England three points ahead after the no-result rain-washed match against Zimbabwe on Tuesday. – Sapa