Temba Bavuma will miss South Africa's warm-up matches (AP Photos)
Temba Bavuma, the captain of South Africa, will not be present for either of his team's two World Cup warm-up matches due to ‘family reasons’. On September 28, Cricket South Africa (CSA) posted a confirmation of the information on social media.
In Thiruvananthapuram, on September 29 and October 2, South Africa will play both Afghanistan and New Zealand, with Aiden Markram taking the charge in Bavuma’s absence.
However, Bavuma is expected to rejoin the Proteas squad before their World Cup opener on October 7 in Delhi, where they will play against Sri Lanka.
"Proteas ODI Captain Temba Bavuma will travel back home due to family reasons. Bavuma misses 2️⃣ #CWC23 warm-up matches vs Afghanistan, vs New Zealand. Markram will captain in his absence," Proteas Men's social media handle said in a statement.
Since Bavuma is unavailable, South Africa will probably give Reeza Hendricks a chance to open with Quinton de Kock in the warm-up games in Thiruvananthapuram.
Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala, two star fast bowlers for South Africa, have already been ruled out of the competition due to injuries. Magala is dealing with a left knee injury, while Nortje is thought to have a stress fracture in his back.
The ODI World Cup will get underway on October 5, with last year's finalists England and New Zealand clashing against one another to begin the proceedings.
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