Dale Steyn has been ruled out of South Africa's opening Cricket World Cup match against England on Thursday.

The 35-year-old has been struggling with a shoulder injury and Proteas coach Ottis Gibson has confirmed that he will miss the game at The Oval.

"He is not quite ready yet," Gibson said at a media conference on Tuesday.

It is unclear how long Steyn will be out of action for, but he faces a race against time to be fit for his side's second game of the tournament against Bangladesh on Sunday.