Philander makes return to cricket

Vernon Philander will make his comeback after four months out with an ankle injury when he plays for Tygerberg Cricket Club.

Cape Town - It’s unusual in this day and age to have Test cricketers turning out for their clubs, but in Cape Town, it will happen twice within three weeks.

Proteas seamer Vernon Philander will make his comeback to the sport on Saturday after four months out with an ankle injury when he plays for Tygerberg Cricket Club in a Western Province Cricket Association’s First Division A fixture against UCT.

This follows another South African fast bowler in Dale Steyn, who tested his readiness for the international scene by playing for Western Province Cricket Club against St Augustine on February 27.

Steyn claimed 5/13 in 10 overs on the day, and was subsequently cleared for selection for the South African T20 squad for the series against Australia and the ICC World T20 in India.

The 30-year-old Philander hurt his ankle ligaments during training ahead of the second Test against India in Bangalore in November last year, and had to fly back home and miss the rest of the four-match series.

It was hoped that he would be fit again for the third Test against England at the Wanderers, but his progress was slow, and he missed the entire home summer as a result.

The South Africans missed Philander’s probing, accurate bowling as they went down 2-1 to the English in the four-Test series.

But now he will take his first steps back on to a cricket field at Tygerberg’s Florida Park home ground in Ravensmead – Philander’s home neighbourhood and where he played senior first team cricket for Tygerberg from the age of 16.

“It is great to have Vernon playing for the club, even if it is just one game. All the guys are hyped up and raring to go. With Vernon being there, it will surely make the guys play at their best,” Tygerberg secretary Alnico Adams told the clubcricket.co.za website this week.

Philander was never in the reckoning for the Proteas’ T20 squad, but will hope to be fully fit for South Africa’s next assignment, a triangular ODI tournament in the Caribbean against the West Indies and Australia in June.

African News Agency