PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa — Match-winning opening bowler Vernon Philander was Tuesday ruled out of the second and final Test against New Zealand, the Proteas' management said Tuesday. Philander, who will be replaced by Rory Kleinveldt for the match starting in Port Elizabeth Friday, felt a recurrence of a left hamstring injury during the closing stages of the first Test in Cape Town last week. The 27-year-old quick was named Man-of-the-Match after taking five wickets for seven runs as New Zealand collapsed to 45 all out in the first innings. South Africa won the match by an innings and 27 runs. Team manager and doctor Mohammed Moosajee said: “Vernon's hamstring strain will require a seven to 10-day recovery period at the very least. Although he is responding to treatment received over the past few days, we feel it's unlikely that he'll recover in time.” Moosajee said the fact that South Africa will play three Test matches against Pakistan, starting on Feb. 1, was a factor in reaching an early decision. “With the Pakistan series less than a month away, it's not worth the risk of aggravating the injury,” he said. Kleinveldt will earn his third Test cap. All-rounder Ryan McLaren has been added to the squad as cover. Dale Steyn, meanwhile, said joining the 300 Test wickets club did not mean the end of his ambitions as a fast bowler. Steyn, 29, said he was aware of the significance of the landmark, but he hoped there was more to come. “I've got a lot more to offer,” he said. “There's another Test in Port Elizabeth next week and hopefully I've got a few more years in these legs.” Steyn, who has held the top spot in the International Cricket Council Test bowler rankings for more than three years, became the 25th man to take 300 wickets in Tests. Only Dennis Lillee (56) and Muttiah Muralitharan (58) achieved the mark in fewer than Steyn's 61 Test matches. — Agencies
