Freak injury may rule Mark Boucher out of Test series against England

Mark Boucher suffered a 'significant injury' to his left eye during the tour match against Somerset (Getty Images)

Mark Boucher's participation in the Test series against England is in doubt after he suffered a "significant injury" to his left eye during the tour match against Somerset. Boucher left the field when a delivery ricocheted off the stumps and struck him in the left eye.

Boucher, who was bleeding from the eye as he left the field, was due to undergo surgery last night. The injury is a laceration of the sclera, the white part of the eye, and looms as a potential career-ender as Boucher said this tour would be his last. "I don't think he will be ready for the first Test and I don't know about the series," said team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee.

On the field, the South Africans were hit by a blitz from Peter Trego – who smashed 104 off just 63 balls – and James Hildreth, who also hit a century, as Somerset declared on 312 for 8.