Smith to miss warm-ups against Lions

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, will miss his team's two practice games against the Highveld Lions this week as part of his rehabilitation from a tennis elbow surgery. However, the team physiotherapist Brandon Jackson assured that Smith was progressing well, and that he should be fit for the Champions Trophy warm-up match against West Indies in Potchefstroom on September 17.

"Graeme's elbow is healing well post surgery," Jackson was quoted as saying in Cricket South Africa's official website. "He is in week 11 of a structured 13-week return to full activity programme. He is currently batting against tennis balls and against underarm bowling with a cricket ball, together with intensive gym strengthening and boxing.

"This excludes him from matches this week. We expect him to return to full batting activity in ten days' time."

Smith first suffered the tennis elbow injury during the IPL in 2008 and that forced him to miss the last three ODIs against England in August. He was adviced to undergo surgery but was still fit to continue playing. He kept postponing the surgery, in order to make himself available for South Africa's busy season later in the year, which included the tour of Australia. He finally went under the knife after the World Twenty20 and was confident of recovering before the Champions Trophy at home, starting September 22. He has already been named in South Africa's squad for the tournament, as well as the Cape Cobras' squad for the Champions League in India next month.