Dale Steyn twice left the field in the middle of an over during the Boxing Day Test © Getty Images
Dale Steyn could still make an appearance in South Africa’s ongoing Test series against England, which he is currently sitting out of with a shoulder injury. Steyn posted a picture on Twitter of himself in a hyperbaric chamber, which he is using to speed up his recovery.
2 hours a day for the next 14 days in this bad boy! Hyperbaric chamber. Boring, but healing! Good read to stay busy pic.twitter.com/sFNxDG6FbF
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) January 14, 2016
“Boring, but healing,” Steyn posted, along with a collage of photographs including Scar Tissue, the autobiography of Red Hot Chilli Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis, which he is reading during sessions.
Steyn initially posted that he would spend a fortnight in the chamber, which would rule him out of the fourth Test, but then corrected himself and confirmed he would only need a week of treatment. That period ends on the eve of the Centurion game, which begins on January 22. Steyn will not have much time to get overs in the legs before the game, but he should be bowling fit by the time the ODIs start, on February 3.
My apologies, 7 days, got ahead of myself there
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) January 14, 2016
Should Steyn not recover in time for the SuperSport Park Test, he would have missed six of South Africa’s eight Tests this season. In the two he played, Steyn broke down both times, first with a groin injury in Mohali, which kept him out of the remaining three Tests in India, and then with a shoulder injury in Durban which forced him out of the New Year’s Test and the ongoing Wanderers Test.
South Africa have had to search their reserves in Steyn’s absence and have given two debuts to two bowlers in their last two games. Chris Morris was capped at Newlands and Hardus Viljoen at the Wanderers.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo