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Manchester - A freak football injury is the reason for Hashim Amla missing out of South Africa's World Cup clash against Australia at Old Trafford on Saturday.
It is not the first time the Proteas have picked up an injury with their now-routine pre-training football warm-up matches, with Vernon Philander tearing a ligament in his left ankle on the 2015 tour of India that ruled him out of the series.
It was confirmed on Saturday morning that the 36-year-old Amla had collided with team-mate Kagiso Rabada and bruised his knee in the process.
The situation was monitored overnight with ice being applied to the bruised area, but the decision was taken on Saturday morning to leave him out.
With David Miller also out injured, the Proteas were forced to bring in spinner Tabraiz Shamsi as Amla's replacement.
With Amla's World Cup now over, there is doubt over whether we will ever see him in a Proteas ODI strip again given his struggles for consistency over the past couple of years.
Aiden Markram, meanwhile, moved to the top of the order to open the batting alongside Quinton de Kock.
