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AB confident Steyn will play

Cape Town - Proteas skipper AB de Villiers is confident ailing fast bowler Dale Steyn will be fit for their Champions Trophy semi-final against England at London's Oval on Wednesday.

According to the ESPNcricinfo website, Steyn's fitness is being monitored carefully after struggling a little after their last game against the West Indies on Friday.

Steyn went into the game against the Windies under an injury cloud after missing South Africa's first two games with a side strain.

He bowled six overs on Friday but has not trained at full intensity in the build-up to the clash against England.

However, De Villiers told ESPNcricinfo there is a "good chance" Steyn will be ready for Thursday's clash.

"It looks like we've got a good chance (of playing Steyn on Wednesday)," said De Villiers. "He's taking another day off just to make sure we rest him really well.

"He's got a few niggles around, which is very worrying, but we're going to do all we can to get him on the park tomorrow. He's close to 100%, he's running around.

"We didn't want to run him too much today because we knew he's one of the best in the world and he's got the skill to just rock up and do the business. He's working on his rehab making sure we give him the best chance to play tomorrow."

The game starts at 11:30 (SA time).

India will play Sri Lanka in the second semi-final in Cardiff on Thursday.


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