South Africa are sweating over the fitness of pacer Dale Steyn ahead of the 2019 ICC World Cup in England after he was ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a shoulder injury.

The veteran had been roped in by Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement for the injured Nathan Coulter-Nile and played two matches for the franchise before experiencing a flare-up of his old shoulder injury.

Steyn is now set to see a specialist in South Africa to assess the extent of the injury and faces an anxious wait just one month ahead of the start of the 2019 World Cup in England.

“Upon assessment and subsequent investigations, a flare-up of his right shoulder was confirmed,” Proteas team manager Mohammed Moosajee stated.

“With the World Cup around the corner, it is our priority to get him back to full fitness before the squad departs on May 19.

“He will consult with a shoulder specialist upon his return and a recovery plan will be put in place.”

The 35-year-old was only last week named in the 15-man South Africa World Cup squad after battling a spate of injuries over the past two years or so.

He had been out of the Proteas ODI squad for more than two years after fracturing his shoulder in a tour of Australia.

In the two IPL games that Steyn played for RCB, he picked up four wickets while going at an economy-rate of 8.62.