Proteas
Green light for touring Proteas
2012-02-07 14:31
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Mohammed Moosajee (Gallo)
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Johannesbyrg - Proteas team doctor Mohammed Moosajee has given the green light to all members of the travelling squad to New Zealand which leaves on Friday.
"I'm happy to report that all the niggles we were dealing with after the recent Sri Lanka tour have been dealt with," Moosajee said on Tuesday.
"Players were rested and rehabilitated and responded well under the watchful eyes of their franchise fitness trainers and physiotherapists."
The tour to New Zealand comprises all three formats of the game, starting with three T20's, followed by three one-day internationals (ODIs) and culminating in a three-Test series.
"Each squad will need about five days to acclimatise because of the time differences," explained Moosajee, who doubles as the team manager.
"The T20 squad will go first, then the overlap ODI squad will leave the following Friday, and the Test side the week after that."
Moosajee said they had made the strategic decision to rest certain players during the Sri Lanka series, and in subsequent domestic matches, rather than give them extra time in the middle.
This was done to allow the players enough time to recuperate and strengthen themselves and it was a decision which worked well for them.
"We have no major concerns and the players responded well to the rest and rehabilitation and some of them even played in the last series of SuperSport matches."
T20 and ODI captain AB de Villiers had responded positively to treatment of his chronic wrist problem while Colin Ingram, also in the T20 squad, had recovered from a shoulder problem.
Test captain Graeme Smith, included in the ODI squad, was back to full fitness after undergoing surgery on his right knee in the middle of last year.
"He has worked hard with his physio and fitness trainer to strengthen his right knee after his debridement, which is basically shaving off of the cartilage," Moosajee said.
Other players who had been plagued by injuries and would be the last to embark on the tour, being members of the Test squad only, were Vernon Philander and Imran Tahir.
"Vernon played for the Cobras with his ankle strapped and suffered no serious consequences and Imran Tahir's right side has responded well."
Moosajee was satisfied that none of these niggles would be an issue when the first batch of players departed for New Zealand.