CSA not concerned by IPL injuries
Cricket South Africa maintain that they will not consider removing their players from the IPL despite a number of Proteas players suffering injuries during the competition.
Graeme Smith fractured his middle finger while turning out for the Rajasthan Royals, and while the injury will not keep him out of the upcoming World Twenty20, it is the second time in three years that Smith has left the competition with a fitness concern, having injured his elbow in the inaugural edition of the competition.
Justin Kemp and Wayne Parnell have not been so lucky, with Kemp's back injury and Parnell's groin strain ruling both players out of the T20 competition in the Caribbean.
Despite the slew of injuries, Cricket South Africa have adopted a conservative position on the subject of IPL participation.
"Cricket South Africa reviews injuries on an ongoing basis but gives players no objection certificates on that basis," Proteas media manager Michael Owen-Smith told Cricket365.
"Graeme Smith's injury was a freak one. You can never anticipate injuries and there is no question of pulling players out of the IPl as a preventative measure at this stage," he added.
Parnell has a bright future ahead of him and will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent in later years but for Kemp, who has only just become eligible for national selection having been involved in the rebel ICL, the injury comes at a time when he could have applied pressure on a struggling Albie Morkel for the all-rounder role in the Proteas starting XI. Should Morkel perform in the West Indies that chance may not come again for the 32-year-old.
