Temba Bavuma’s injury woes continue to haunt South Africa as the Proteas captain is now in doubt for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh. Bavuma was ruled out of the third ODI against Ireland with an elbow injury, raising concerns about his availability for the Test matches starting on October 21.
The injury is a recurrence of the same elbow problem that sidelined Bavuma during South Africa’s T20 tour of India in 2022. It forced him to miss the subsequent tour of England and has plagued him ever since. Despite making a comeback ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup, Bavuma has been hampered by a series of injuries, including hamstring niggles and a left hamstring injury sustained during the Boxing Day Test against India last year.
Bavuma’s absence from the Test series against Bangladesh is a significant blow to South Africa’s hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The Proteas have six Tests remaining in the cycle, and they need to win at least five of them to have a chance of reaching the final.
In Bavuma’s absence, Rassie van der Dussen will lead South Africa in the Test series. T20I captain Aiden Markram has been rested for this series.
South Africa are also without allrounder Wiaan Mulder for the white-ball series against Ireland. Mulder has left the tour for personal reasons. The Proteas have already taken a 2-0 lead in the ODI series and will play the third and final match on Monday. The preceding T20I series finished level at 1-1.
