Dale Steyn is set to miss all of South Africa's summer tour to England after the paceman admitted his recovery from shoulder surgery is taking longer than expected.
Steyn has not played since breaking a bone in his right shoulder in the first Test against Australia in November and had already been left out of South Africa's Champions Trophy squad.
He had, though, been named in the South Africa A squad to tour the United Kingdom in May and June, with a view to proving his fitness ahead of the Proteas' four-match Test series against England which begins in July.
However, a Cricket South Africa spokesperson confirmed that the 33-year-old will miss the A team tour.
And rather than being available to face England in Joe Root's first Test series as captain of the host nation, Steyn now looks to be targeting September's clash with Bangladesh for his possible international comeback.
"My recovery is going well but it is taking a little longer than I expected it to," Steyn said at the CSA Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday.
"I am able to do a lot of things, like running, hiking and gym work, but bowling is not one of them, and I won't be ready in time."
"Obviously, one of the reasons for me playing with the A side was so that I could get some match fitness before the Tests. So, before that Bangladesh series, I will need to play a bit."
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