South African cricket suffered a huge blow ahead of the second ODI against Pakistan as spinner Keshav Maharaj was ruled out for the remainder of the series with a left adductor strain.
Maharaj, who suffered the injury while warming up before Tuesday’s opening ODI in Paarl, will not play in the upcoming matches.
His place in the Proteas team will be filled by fellow left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin.
The 34-year-old, who will return to Durban for rehabilitation, will have his fitness re-assessed ahead of the first Test against Pakistan, scheduled to begin on Boxing Day.
Maharaj was initially selected to play in the opening ODI but had to be replaced by Andile Phehlukwayo when the injury occurred just before the toss.
Fortuin, who took 13 wickets in his 11 ODI matches, will join the team for the remainder of the series. His last appearance was against Ireland in Abu Dhabi in October.
Before Maharaj’s injury was confirmed, Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad spoke about the potential setback for the team, stating that losing Maharaj would be a huge blow.
“His performances have been excellent over the last few months and he is a calming influence in the dressing room. He, Marco (Jansen) and (Kagiso Rabada) are the trio that will ensure we get the bulk of the 20 wickets we need to win a Test match,” Conrad said.
South Africa are already without key players due to injuries, including Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortjé.
Pakistan emerged victorious by three wickets in the series opener, taking a 1–0 series lead.
South Africa posted 239/9 in their 50 overs, with Heinrich Klaasen leading the attack with 86 runs.
The Pakistan spinners led by Agha made significant inroads in the middle-order, taking four wickets, with Abrar Ahmed and Shaheen Afridi also contributing wickets.
The team’s chase faltered early, losing four wickets for just 60 runs, but a resilient 109 from Ayub and a steady 82* from Agha turned the tide.
Despite the late collapse, Agha sealed Pakistan’s victory, guiding them to 242/7 in 49.3 overs.
