Johannesburg: Stuart Broad has been ruled out of the first two one-day internationals against South Africa with a shoulder injury. Broad had already missed the Twenty20 series and two practice games, including Tuesday's victory over South Africa A, after incurring the problem while tumbling in the outfield during the first warm-up game in Bloemfontein.
The England management reasoned that on a long tour with four Test matches after the five one-dayers, it was not worth risking such a crucial player. Broad, 23, voiced concerns at the beginning of the tour about player burnout and now has nine days to get himself ready for the third ODI in Cape Town.
In better news for the English team, Paul Collingwood hopes to overcome a back injury in time for the first ODI at the Wanderers on Friday, in which he hopes to become England's most-capped one-day player.