Ill health has delayed disgraced former Proteas wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile’s bid to clear his name over assault charges.

The 36-year-old former Highveld Lions captain is accused of grabbing and slapping a 14-year-old pupil in Pinelands‚ Cape Town‚ on September 7.

Tsolekile made headlines this year when he was banned from cricket for 12 years for match fixing.

 He was scheduled to appear in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday but his counsel‚ advocate Mafu Masina‚ told the court the cricketer was sick and could not make it to the hearing.

 During Tsolekile’s court appearance last month‚ Masina asked for a postponement in order to make representations to the prosecution.

 The court issued a warrant for Tsolekile which will be held over until his next appearance on January 20. He is also required to furnish the court with a medical certificate confirming that he was indeed sick. Masina did not say what the outcomes of the representations had been.

TMG Digital previously reported that the alleged victim of Tsolekile’s assault is a pupil at Pinelands High School. The boy was apparently shouting at passing cars outside the school when the incident happened.

 “And then he (Tsolekile) just pulled him by the throat and clamped him against the car and asked him what is that he said [what did you say to me] and then my brother said they were just playing around‚” the sister told EWN at the time.

“Then‚ two other guys came trying to get my brother out of the car and they was just trying to fight them off and closed his door and continued smacking my brother in the car and him really hard across the face and then sped off.”

 The child was dropped off at the school and received medical attention.

 The cricketer denies assaulting the pupil. Masina said Tsolekile only took the child into the school to report “what they had been doing“.

Tsolekile is out on a warning.