Viral Infection forces Faf du Plessis to skip Boxing Day Test against Zimbabwe

South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the critical and first-ever four-day Test after suffering from the viral infection, as AB de Villiers has been appointed as the stand-in captain for the fixture.

The convener of the Cricket South Africa (CSA) national selection committee convener Linda Zondi stated it’s not a good sign to lose Faf du Plessis while adding it’s equally important to take the players’ fitness into due consideration before the busy summer schedule.

“It is unfortunate that Faf is missing out due to injury but we would rather take the precaution ahead of a busy summer of cricket at home,” Zondi said in a statement.

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Interestingly, de Villiers, on the other hand, is making the Test return after two years, as Zondi thanked the former for leading the team.

“AB has captained South Africa in both the limited-overs and Test formats and his experience and expertise will be invaluable for this first Test match of the season. This is a one-off appointment and we thank AB for accepting the decision at such short notice,” Zondi asserted.

In the recent past, du Plessis was marred by injury which included the lower back issues and shoulder problem.

“He (Faf du Plessis) developed a respiratory tract infection which delayed his recovery this week, and subsequently made it difficult for him to make a full recovery in time for the match,” Dr Mohammed Moosajee, who is the South African team manager said in a release.

Moosaje reiterated the middle-order batsman du Plessis was gaining complete fitness before the infection forced him to be sidelined for the One-off Test match.

“Faf has been making steady progress from the respective back and shoulder injuries and until last week was on track to make a comeback in this match,” Moosaje added.

It’s pertinent to mention that the hosts Proteas will be facing Zimbabwe in the day-and-night Test in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday (December 26).

Earlier, du Plessis revealed he is not fully fit ahead of the all-important fixture owing to the Boxing Day Test game.

“Last week I was 80-20 for playing, probably now 60-40,” du Plessis was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

However, the 33-year-old Pretoria-born du Plessis sweated it out in the nets early on before setting the horizon on the St George’ Park game against Graeme Cremer-led Zimbabweans.

Following the withdrawal of du Plessis, Moosaje maintained that the skipper would receive complete treatment to get ready for the gruelling series against India which will be kicking off on January 5, next year (2018) in the Cape Town.

“He will continue to receive treatment and rehab from our physiotherapist, Craig Govender, and we are hopeful he will recover in time to lead the team for the first Test match against India,” Moosaje concluded.

Since making his Test debut in November 2012 against Australia at Adelaide, du Plessis has played 45 Tests so far, as he amassed 2,839 runs at an average of 46.54. He smashed seven hundreds and 15 half-centuries in 72 innings.