After NZ, SA grapple with illness

Hambantota: Five South African players have fallen ill but are expected to be fit for the team's first Twenty20 World Cup match against Zimbabwe on Thursday, the Proteas team manager said.

"We have a few guys who've gone down with viral infection, vomiting and diarrhoea but I am happy to say that they are on the mend," team manager Mohammed Moosajee said on Wednesday.

"I am hopeful come on Thursday, all 15 will be fit to take the field," he said while declining to identify the players struck by illness. On Monday, three members of New Zealand's World Twenty20 team - Tim Southee, Rob Nicol and Daniel Vettori - went down with stomach trouble.

Five SA players have fallen ill but are expected to be fit for the team\'s first match against Zimbabwe.

While Vettori recovered sufficiently to travel with the team from Colombo to Kandy, Southee and Nicol had to delay their departure by a day to recover from the illness.

New Zealand open their World Twenty20 campaign at Pallekele on Friday against Bangladesh.

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