Amla likely to be fit for India encounter, Ngidi ruled out
South African opener Hashim Amla is likely to be fit for the third match against India after sitting out the encounter against Bangladesh. Amla was hit in the head in the tournament opener against England and was rested in their 21 run loss against Bangladesh.
Amla was hit flush in the head from a bouncer by Jofra Archer and retired-hurt before eventually returning to bat. He suffered from symptoms of concussion the following day, with the team management deciding to rest him for the Bangladesh match.
South African team doctor Mohammed Moosajee though has confirmed that Amla is likely to take the field in the crucial game against India. He said in a statement as quoted by Cricbuzz:
“During the last match, he sustained a blow to the to the helmet. When he came off the field he was assessed. There were concussion assessment tests done as well as various computerised assessments done. Initially, the results were what we call inconclusive. Repeat tests were done about an hour later which were much clearer than the ones before, and that’s why the decision was made to let him go out there and bat. Subsequent to the match, the next day, he felt some symptoms and therefore as a precaution, we decided to rest him from this game. The plan is to get him ready for the match against India on Wednesday in Southampton.”
He also stated that Lungi Ngidi, who suffered a hamstring strain in the Bangladesh game will miss the fixture against India. Ngidi could only bowl 4 overs during the match and could be ruled out for a period of seven to ten days.
“He sustained sharp discomfort in his left hamstring after bowling the fourth over today. He came off. He was assessed and clinically we felt that he had a left hamstring strain. We decided not to let him go out there and bowl any further in this match. It probably means that he’ll be out for about a week to ten days, but we’ll have scans done tomorrow. The plan will be probably to get him ready for the West Indies match.”
