Northerns left-arm fast bowler Greg Smith has become the first casualty of the South African A side even before they head for Sri Lanka on a five-week tour on Monday.
Ironically his replacement Gary Gilder also earned a late call up to join the 1996 A team tour of England when a spate of injuries against Somerset in Taunton forced first Roger Telemachus and then Jacques Kallis out of that tour.
The tourists, led by Dale Benkenstein and now coached by Graham Ford, arrive on the reef from Durban later today (Thursday subs) and have three intensive practice sessions at SuperSport Centurion tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.
For Smith, the recent serious injury to the fourth finger of his left hand, which required an operation, has come at the wrong time of his career.
``It means I will have to start from the bottom again,'' he said grimly at Centurion Park yesterday. ``I had a good summer as was looking forward to this tour to get further attention from the selectors. Now it means I need to work just that much harder to retain their interest in me.''
Smith ended the tour of England in 1996 carrying a hairline fracture in the pelvis and battled for the most of the 1996/97 to regain his place in the Northerns side. Last summer he earned 29 A section wickets at 23.90 to end third in the Northerns Titans averages behind Fanie de Villiers and Mile Rindel.
Gilder managed 25 A Section wickets for Natal last season at a cost of 21.52, playing seven games. He was the province's leading wicket-taker in the Standard Bank League and Cup.
Ford, who has replaced Duncan Fletcher as the South African A team coach, feels the side is well balanced for the tour with fast bowlers Henry Williams and Herman Bakkes joining Gilder, who will provide the all-important left-arm variation.
The coach has already held discussions with Dr Ali Bacher, managing director of the United Cricket Board, and Peter Pollock, convener of the national selectors regarding touring strategies.
Benkenstein, captain of the SA Under-24 side which toured Sri Lanka three years ago, also led the A team in the series against West Indies A. There are three ``tests'' along with two warm up games and three limited-overs internationals at the end of the tour.
Although the dates have been provided, the UCB were still awaiting confirmation of the venues as well as the names of the teams for the two warm up games. Sri Lanka sources suggest the first warm up game is against a Board President's XI. The opposition for the second game is likely to be that of an Invitation XI with a number of Sri Lanka A team players who were involved in games against England A earlier this year.
The first ``test'' may be scheduled for Galle on the coast or Kurunegala, where the Under-24 tourists beat Sri Lanka three years ago.