Vernon Philander recalls the horror he faced during the mysterious stomach pain

South Africa will be eager to win the fourth and final Test to satisfy themselves with a draw when they meet England at Old Trafford. Vernon Philander will be back to put his best foot forward. During the third Test in which England beat South Africa by 239 runs, Philander was troubled by a sudden stomach pain which restricted him to bowl only 32 overs during the game.

The overcast conditions were ideal for the pacer who is known for making the most of it. However, despite that benefit to his side, he could not get going. The Man of the Match in the Trent Bridge Test, Philander had to be kept on the drip for a night in the hospital – that is how bad the mysterious bug in his stomach was. But now that the seamer has recovered, he wants to make the best of his fitness and help his team salvage a series draw.

Speaking about his stomach upset, the bowler said it drilled him for a few days and it was a tough week. “It was either something I picked up or something I ate that really ‘drilled’ me for a couple of days,” Philander told reporters at Old Trafford, “It was a tough week personally, but I’m looking forward to this one,” he added.

Lack of back-up 

He wouldn’t have played the match at all if his side had enough options to replace him. Thus the skipper Faf du Plessis decided to include Philander in the Test, instead of not having him at all.

“I think it probably got a lot worse having to bowl after losing quite a lot of fluids,” the 32-year-old Philander explained. “The night in hospital, being on a drip, really revitalised me. But then in the morning, it was (not good) again. Being on the loo for quite a bit, and having to go out to bowl, it was draining from a fluid point of view – because I couldn’t really keep anything down. It was really bad, but I’m feeling a lot better now,” he said.