Temba Bavuma, the captain of South Africa, will not be
there for either of his team’s two World Cup preliminaries since he must return
home for personal reasons. On September 29 and October 2 in Thiruvananthapuram,
South Africa will take on Afghanistan and New Zealand under the direction of
Aiden Markram.
In time for South Africa’s World Cup opener on October
7 against Sri Lanka in Delhi, Bavuma is anticipated to re-join the team.
Fast bowlers Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala, who
were both forced to withdraw from the competition owing to injuries, are
already absent for South Africa. Magala has a left knee problem, while Nortje
may have a stress fracture in her back.
Bavuma sustained a hamstring complaint during his
unbeaten 114 against Australia in the first ODI earlier this month, but he was
still able to play in the following two matches. He then experienced an inner
thigh muscle pain and was given a precautionary rest day before the fourth ODI.
In the series’ final game, he made a two-ball duck upon his comeback.
In the warm-up games in Thiruvananthapuram, Reeza
Hendricks might start with Quinton de Kock in place of Bavuma.