The Proteas will be hoping that Kagiso Rabada’s right hamstring injury is not major heading into a packed home international summer.
Rabada, 31-years old, has not played any cricket since finishing as the top wicket-taker in the IPL, helping Gujarat Titans to the final at the end of May.
He opted to sit out both Major League Cricket and The Hundred in a bid to stay fresh for a season where the Proteas face Australia, Bangladesh and England in eight Test matches during their World Test Championship title defence, in addition to their white-ball commitments.
Rabada was recently seen batting in the nets during a training session at SACS in Cape Town, but Cricket South Africa has now released a statement confirming that the fast bowler suffered a hamstring injury whilst doing a winter training programme.
He will undergo further assessments, with a home ODI series against Australia to come next month.
Proteas coach Shukri Conrad has been in regular contact with Rabada during the off-season and recently stated: "KG’s in great nick.
"He’s super confident. He’s probably in the best shape of his career physically, and mentally, he’s in a really good space as well.
"He’s someone who can’t wait for the summer to come around. So, it’s great having our premier fast bowler in that sort of form and in that sort of mental space."
The Proteas’ international season starts next week in Namibia, where they will face the hosts and fellow Southern African neighbours Zimbabwe in a triangular T20I series before a three-match ODI series against Namibia.
Rabada — who has not played red-ball cricket since the Pakistan series in October last year after missing the successful India series with a rib injury — and a host of Proteas regulars were not considered for the Namibia tour.
A further injury concern for the Proteas is all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy. The left-arm spinner was ruled out of the first "Test" between South Africa ‘A’ and Bangladesh ‘A’, which started on Sunday, with a lower-back spasm.
It would have been a bitter pill for Muthusamy to swallow after confirming last week that he had just recovered from a knee injury, sustained during the winter, that prevented him from taking up a stint with Kent in the English County Championship.