South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first in their tri-series one-day cricket match against Sri Lanka at the Brisbane Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
The South Africans, already hit by injuries, suffered a further blow when all-rounder Jacques Kallis was ruled out of the match with an elbow injury.
Captain Graeme Smith said it is the same injury that has troubled Kallis throughout the tour and conceded he may be unfit for the remainder of the tri-series tournament.
”We have some very tough decisions to make over the next few days,” Smith said.
A South African team spokesperson said a decision will be made on Wednesday whether Kallis will be sent back home for treatment.
The Proteas will also decide then whether bowler Charl Langeveldt needs to return home to recover from a groin injury.
Smith liked the look of the hard Brisbane track, which was again expected to provide good bounce and pace for the bowlers.
South Africa had success in bowling first in their breakthrough five-wicket win over Australia on the same ground on Sunday.
The Proteas included spinner Johan Botha in place of Kallis and made batsman Jacques Rudolph their super sub.
Sri Lanka are looking to register their first win in the competition after being thrashed by 116 runs by Australia in the series opener in Melbourne last Friday.
Sri Lanka dropped batsman Michael Vandort, who made a painstaking 48 against Australia, as well as bowler Dilhara Fernando. — Sapa-AFP
Teams
South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Ashwell Prince, Justin Kemp, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Johan Botha, Garnett Kruger, Monde Zondeki, Jacques Rudolph (super sub)
Sri Lanka: Marvan Atapattu (captain), Upul Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Ruchira Perera, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralidaran, Malinga Bandara (super sub)