South Africa seamer Vernon Philander has injured his left knee while bowling in the nets ahead of next week's second Test against Sri Lanka. South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee says the highly rated newcomer, who has taken 24 wickets and four five-wicket hauls in his first three Tests, has a mild strain of the medial ligament. Moosajee adds team management is confident Philander will be fit to play in the match at Kingsmead, which starts Monday. Moosajee says “tomorrow, once some of the swelling and inflammation goes down, he'll be allowed to bowl and if he bowls without discomfort, he should be OK.” Philander took 10 wickets in the first Test as South Africa beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 81 runs to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. South Africa has to become more ruthless in its approach, captain Graeme Smith said. South Africa has not won a home series since beating Bangladesh in 2008. It has lost and drawn two series against Australia and drawn series against England and India. The host is coming off a comprehensive innings and 81-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Centurion and has the chance to win the three-Test series when the second Test starts at Kingsmead in Durban on Dec. 26. “We are in the process of improving certain facets of our game. Being more ruthless, being able to string three sessions together in a day is something that we are really trying to do. We haven't been able to do that consistently and that is where we have been costing ourselves so we want to improve on that,” Smith told a news conference. South Africa's skipper went on to say that it was important that his team did not lose its focus during the Christmas break. “The preparation is going to be important. Making the most of our time at this time of year is crucial. During Christmas it is important that you maintain your focus. Our preparation is a key factor to that,” he explained.
