Temba Bavuma suffers BIG setback days after winning WTC final against Australia

Temba Bavuma made history by guiding South Africa to victory in the World Test Championship. Against all odds, the Proteas triumphed over Australia in the final, securing their first ICC Trophy in 27 years. The only previous ICC win for South Africa was in the Champions Trophy back in 1998. Since then, the Proteas have come close to winning the ICC trophy multiple times but have stumbled at the final hurdle, earning them the label of 'chokers'.

Bavuma has proven to be an exceptional captain for South Africa, remaining undefeated after 10 Tests in charge.

South Africa's upcoming challenge is a two-match Test series against Zimbabwe; however, Bavuma faces a significant setback ahead of the series. He played in the WTC final while dealing with a hamstring injury, which has now sidelined him for the Zimbabwe series.

In his absence, Keshav Maharaj has been appointed as the captain for the Test team on the Zimbabwe tour. The squad is notably different from the one that faced Australia in the final, featuring five uncapped players. This change is somewhat unexpected, considering Zimbabwe is not among the strongest teams globally, allowing South Africa the opportunity to test their bench strength against them.

Regrettably, Bavuma has suffered his third hamstring injury in the past two years, following the 2023 ODI World Cup and the home Test match against India. In addition, they have decided to rest Aiden Markram, the Player of the Match from the WTC final, along with Kagiso Rabada. However, Lungi Ngidi will only be available for the second Test.

The series is set to commence on June 28, with the second Test scheduled for July 06. Both matches will take place at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

South Africa Test Squad against Zimbabwe: Keshav Maharaj (c), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi*, Lhuan-dré Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne and Codi Yusu.

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