JOHANNESBURG, June 2: South African skipper Graeme Smith should have recovered in time from a hamstring injury to play in the first Test against England next month, coach Mickey Arthur said on Monday.

Smith told reporters on Sunday that he would be “struggling” to be fit in time for the start of the four-Test series which begins at Lord’s on July 10 after tearing his hamstring while playing in the just-concluded Indian Premier League.

Arthur however said that although the injury usually takes four weeks to recover he was hoping Smith would be available for the final warm-up game.

“It’s a grade two injury, which normally means about four weeks out of action but I am confident [physiotherapist] Shane Jabaar will get him ready in time,” Arthur told the Sapa news agency.

“Graeme will probably miss the first warm-up match against Somerset and we will be looking at the warm-up against Middlesex, starting on July 4, as Graeme’s comeback game. I’m not even considering Graeme not playing at Lord’s.”—AFP