South Africa test captain Temba Bavuma has reportedly injured his elbow and has ruled him out of the final of the CSA Four-Day Series, Division 1.
Bavuma was due to join up with the Lions team on Tuesday from Cape Town but did not arrive in Johannesburg. It was found out late on Wednesday that Bavuma could not play the match because of the niggle.
The Lions have not been told which elbow Bavuma has injured or how serious the injury is and were caught off guard by Bavuma’s late withdrawal from the match.
Lions captain Dominic Hendricks told the media he was looking forward to playing with Bavuma in the marquee game.
Temba Bavuma who fractured his left elbow in 2022 which forced him out of South Africa’s tour to England that year and sidelined him for three months. He then reinjured the same elbow during the ODI game against Ireland in an Abu Dhabi.
He had no red-ball match practice before the home summer and spoke openly about battling mental demons after a wretched run, which also included injuries to both hamstrings.
Despite that, Bavuma made a stirring comeback with two centuries in four tests and a run of four fifty+ scores against Sri Lanka.
Temba Bavuma also captained South Africa to the Champions Trophy semi finals but has batted with heavy strapping on his elbow throughout the season.
Since Champions Trophy, Bavuma has played no competitive cricket but was present with the Lions for their final first class league match in Bloemfontein last week, which was completely rained out. He then traveled to Cape Town and was due to rejoin the team ahead of the final against the Titans.
South Africa is set to play in the finals of the WTC 2023-25 cycle which starts on June 11. With both sides are planning for practice matches from mid-may, including a game against an international opposition in England, ahead of the final.
They will no play any cricket before then with several players involved at the IPL 2025 and others on domestic circuit.
With his elbow injury, Bavuma’s availability remains uncertain as he could be racing against time to recover in time for the ICC‘s WTC finals.
Also Read: WTC Points Table 2023-25 – World Test Championship
