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Cape Town - Proteas seamer Vernon Philander has been ruled out of the first Test against Bangladesh in Potchefstroom due to injury.
Philander missed the final Test against England in Old Trafford suffering from a back injury.
Proteas team manager Mohammed Moosajee confirmed that the all-rounder will not be risked for the first Test in Potchefstroom, starting on Thursday, September 28.
"During the Test series in England, he (Philander) dived for a ball and injured his lower back. His progress has been coming along well but he is only bowling at 80 percent capacity currently," said Moosajee.
The plan is for the 32-year-old to come through a domestic first-class fixture before being considered for the second Test, which gets underway in Bloemfontein from October 6.
"The plan for him (Philander) is to prepare for the four-day match for the Cobras beginning on September 28 (against the Warriors). Should he come through that, he should be available for the second Test against Bangladesh," said Moosajee.
"At the moment, he is only building up to full intensity so we are not going to risk him to play during the first Test."
The Proteas' Test squad for the Bangladesh series will be announced towards the end of the domestic games this week.
