Ngam suffers another stress fracture

The immediate and, quite possibly, long-term future of Mfuneko Ngam is once again under a cloud after the Eastern Province fast bowler was found to be suffering yet another stress fracture, this time of the right tibia, this week.

According to South African team physiotherapist Craig Smith: "Ngam started feeling pain in his right lower leg and was sent for a bone scan in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. The results confirm it is a bone injury - a stress fracture."

Ngam, seen as one of the most exciting prospects to emerge in South African cricket for several years and named recently as one of the Cricketers of the Year, has been attempting to regain fitness after suffering a stress fracture of his right thigh last season and undergoing a shoulder operation.

He has already been subjected to a barrage of tests in an attempt to establish why his bones appear to be so brittle - it has been suggested that he may suffer from a genetic disorder or that the root cause lies in certain dietary deficiencies earlier in his life.

Smith said that Ngam had suffered "four or five" stress fractures in various areas of his body over the past four years. The case will be referred to Professor Tim Noakes of the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town. Bone specialists around the world will be consulted in an attempt to establish the root cause of the problem.

For the moment Ngam is expected to be out of cricket for between four to six weeks and will miss the Test series against India next month. The real concern, however, is that Ngam's susceptibility to this type of injury may prevent him realising his undoubted talent. If this is the case, it will be a tragedy for both Ngam and South African cricket.