Bosman's condition not encouraging, says Arthur

South African opener Loots Bosman will know on Monday whether he will be fit to play the Twenty20 World Championship which begins in South Africa on September 11.

Bosman suffered an injury when trying to catch Tatenda Taibu off Dale Steyn at the boundary during the second ODI against Zimbabwe on August 25. He failed in his attempt, and instead crashed into the advertising boards, hurting his back in the process. He was carried off the field in a lot of pain and didn't bat later in the afternoon. He was reported to have a prolapsed disc in his spine.

"The latest verbal assessment we have of his [Bosman's] condition is not encouraging," South Africa coach Mickey Arthur told Independent Online. "We are still waiting for a written report, but we will not make a final decision before Monday. There's no sense in going into a two-week tournament with an injured player."

No one has been called up as cover as yet but Arthur had said that Bosman would have to be replaced if he wasn't fit enough to play the first warm-up match on September 8.