Cape Town, Nov 26 : England fast bowler Stuart Broad, who will return for the third one-day international against South Africa on Friday, has admitted that he feared about his tour being cut short due to his shoulder injury.

The 23-year-old was out of action for the past three weeks after hurting a shoulder while fielding in a practice match this month.

"It was a big worry for the first couple of days because there were all sorts of diagnoses from different specialists in England and South Africa," The Sun quoted Broad, as saying.

"It would have been heartbreaking if I''d had to go home. I had a day or two of feeling down in the dumps, not sure what was happening," he added.

It is Broad's third injury since The Ashes victory- following a stiff neck that caused him to miss two one-dayers against Australia in September, and a strained muscle in his backside during the Champions Trophy.

He first bowled in practice on Sunday and went through his paces when the tourists had a middle practice at the Northerns Goodwood club ground in Cape Town.

"I bowled 10 overs in practice on Sunday with no problems and the shoulder feels good now. I got the injury when I dived to stop the ball. The bone slid out of the joint and that caused an impingement which was stopping my arm rotating - but there was no structural damage," Broad said.

"We rested the shoulder and a couple of injections helped it on the way. The medical people said there would be no lasting effects," he added. (ANI)