More surgery for Ngam

The prospect of Mfuneko Ngam making his comeback to international cricket during South Africa's tour of Zimbabwe in September receded on Tuesday with the news that the Eastern Province fast bowler is to undergo further surgery to his injured right shoulder.

Ngam underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff in February while also recovering from a stress facture in his right fracture. By all accounts he has recovered well from his leg injury, but, according to South African team physiotherapist Craig Smith, he is still "experiencing some discomfort (in the shoulder) with specific movements". The specific movements, in fact, are his throwing action, and while he is able to bowl with no discomfort, it has been decided that an arthroscopy might be able to resolve his problems once and for all.

In terms of his overall progress, this latest procedure should only set him by "two to three weeks", but Smith and the medical team overseeing Ngam's recovery believe that he should be gradually reintroduced to the national side by way of club and provincial cricket.

There will be few opportunities for Ngam to play club and provincial cricket before South Africa leave for Zimbabwe, a more likely target date for his return to the international stage now looks to be during India's tour of South Africa later in the year.

To a degree the caution with which Ngam's comeback is being approached has to do with ensuring that the player is comfortable in his own mind about his return. With Allan Donald's future as a Test player still in doubt and back-to-back series against Australia coming up during the summer, the view appears to be that Ngam, and South Africa, will be better served by erring on the side of caution before throwing him back into Test match cricket.