Last Update on: November 12th, 2023 at 11:42 am
South Africa could be without their captain Temba Bavuma for the all-important semifinal against Australia in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The opening batsman is in a race against time to be fit for the crucial clash.
Temba Bavuma sustained a right hamstring strain during his team’s last league game of the World Cup. The Proteas ended their league stage on Friday with a win over Afghanistan in Ahmedabad. The win, however, was marred by the injury to the 33-year-old.
He had to leave the field after only nine balls of the first innings and returned four overs later. He, however, looked uncomfortable throughout and fielded mostly at mid-off. Cricket South Africa (CSA), on Saturday (November 11) said that the batter has “showed an improvement overnight”, according to ESPNcricinfo. CSA, however, did not respond to questions on whether he was sent for a scan.
“Proteas captain Temba Bavuma sustained a right hamstring strain during the match against Afghanistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday night,” CSA said in a statement.
“He was assessed by the Proteas medical team today and showed an improvement overnight. He will continue to be monitored and managed by the medical team.”
Temba Bavuma’s World Cup campaign so far:
While Temba Bavuma has led South Africa to the semifinals of the World Cup, he has not really managed to do well with the bat so far. The right-handed batsman averages only 20 with the bat in the ongoing competition. In 7 matches so far, he has scored a modest 145 runs with a top score of 35.
He would be hoping to recover from the injury soon and score big in the semifinals as South Africa look to make it to the final of the ODI World Cup for the first time in their history. The Proteas will lock horns against five-time world champions Australia in the semifinals. South Africa have already defeated Australia once in the competition and will be fancying their chances.
In case Temba Bavuma fails to recover in time, Aiden Markram is set to lead the team. Earlier in the competition, Markram led South Africa against England after Bavuma was sidelined with an illness.
