South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock's participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League was, on Thursday, thrown into jeopardy as he would require 4-6 weeks to recover from a finger injury that he sustained during the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington.
The 24-year-old de Kock, who has been a part of Delhi Daredevils since 2014, injured his right index finger during the second Test in Wellington that ended on March 18, with subsequent scans revealing an injury to the tendon.
"We will make a late call on his availability for the match (third Test in Hamilton) on Friday after he undergoes a fitness test with protective strapping to see if he will be able to bat or keep wicket. Either way, he is going to need a protected period of recovery which will take between 4-6 weeks. In the long-term, there is every likelihood of him missing out on the IPL because of the expected recovery time," Proteas team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee said.
"Being a wicket-keeper, every time he catches the ball there is strain on the finger and that makes it difficult to allow sufficient time to recover. If he does not have the 4-6 weeks' recovery time, further activity could aggravate the injury and it could even jeopardise his participation in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy and the full tour to England," Moosajee said in a Cricket South Africa statement.
Moosajee said a scan done in Hamilton on Wednesday revealed tendon damage to the last digit of the index finger.
"Quinton sustained an injury to his right index finger during the last Test match in Wellington. At the time, we had an x-ray done to exclude a fracture, and thankfully that was clear. However, he still complained of pain and discomfort in the finger so we had a scan done in Hamilton on Wednesday which revealed tendon damage to the last digit of the index finger."
In case de Kock decides to give IPL-10, starting April 5 a miss, it will be a big blow for Delhi Daredevils as another South African batsman JP Duminy had three days back pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons.
Duminy led Delhi Daredevils in the 2015 edition. He had been a regular with the Delhi Daredevils squad
since 2014.
Though de Kock is in doubt for the third Test against New Zealand, the Kiwis have also been hit as bowling spearhead Southee has a torn hamstring and has been ruled out of the match. "While only a minor tear, he will not be fit for the upcoming match beginning on Saturday," a team spokesperson said. Agencies