Philander county stint interrupted by groin injury

Vernon Philander will return to South Africa for rehabilitation on a groin injury suffered while playing for Sussex. He is expected to be out for "two to three weeks" and will miss Sussex's Royal London Cup campaign.

Philander was due to be available for the first two months of the county season, with a view to acclimatising ahead of South Africa's tour this summer. However, he only managed to send down 17 overs in Sussex's opening Championship match - a 226-run defeat to Kent at Hove - and did not take the field in the second innings.

Sussex have announced that he will head back to South Africa to rest, ruling him out of their Championship match against Nottinghamshire starting on Friday, as well as the group stage of the Royal London Cup. The club hope Philander will then be able to play in four Championship fixtures, starting with Durham's visit on May 21.

Philander has not played an ODI for South Africa since 2015 and did not make the squad for the Champions Trophy despite being considered for his ability to swing the new ball in English conditions. His fitness for the Test series, which starts on July 6, is likely to be a more pressing concern.