South African skipper Faf du Plessis has been unable to shrug off the shoulder and back problems that had made him doubtful for the one-off four-day day-night Test against Zimbabwe that begins at Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. His return to action was further affected when he developed a viral infection this week in an attempt at recovering from the injuries. In his place, AB de Villiers – who has not featured in a Test since last January – will step in as the captain.

“Faf has been making steady progress from the respective back and shoulder injuries and until last week was on track to make a comeback in this match. He developed a respiratory tract infection which delayed his recovery this week, and subsequently made it difficult for him to make a full recovery in time for the match. He will continue to receive treatment and rehab from our physiotherapist, Craig Govender, and we are hopeful he will recover in time to lead the team for the first Test match against India starting in Cape Town on January 5th,” said Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee.

Faf had given himself 60 per cent chance of being fit for the contest which will see South Africa host their first day-night Test. He had suffered a shoulder injury two months ago and had undergone surgery to address a longstanding issue. With his presence into the side remaining doubtful on Sunday, Dean Elgar was expected to lead the side but that responsibility has been handed to de Villiers.