South Africa's hopes of reaching the WTC final suffered a setback on Thursday when Lungi Ngidi was ruled out of this summer's four home Tests with a groin injury. A release said Ngidi was expected to return to action in January.

The series against Sri Lanka starts at Kingsmead on November 27, and will be followed by a rubber against Pakistan beginning in Centurion on December 26. Should South Africa win all of those matches, they will seal a spot in the final at Lord's in June next year.

Ngidi would have been an important factor in that cause. He has had modest success in his 10 away Tests, taking 16 wickets at 37.37. But he is a significant force in South Africa, where he has claimed 39 wickets at 17.30 in nine matches.

With Nandre Burger sidelined by a lumbar problem, the South Africans are two potent pace threats down. But Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee have returned from conditioning breaks in the current T20I series against India, which does not involve the rested Kagiso Rabada. Lutho Sipamla played his first international in almost three years in the third T20I in Centurion on Wednesday.

The release said Temba Bavuma, who missed the Test series in Bangladesh last month because of an elbow injury, would have a fitness test on Monday to gauge his prospects of playing in the first Test against Sri Lanka.