South Africa&rsquo;s Test captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe due to a left hamstring strain sustained during the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord&rsquo;s.
Despite playing through pain in the second innings and scoring a crucial 66, Bavuma aggravated a recurring hamstring issue. He will undergo further scans to assess the extent of the injury, Cricket South Africa confirmed on Friday.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj will take over captaincy duties in Bavuma&rsquo;s absence for the Test series, starting June 28 in Bulawayo. The matches also mark the beginning of the new WTC cycle for both sides.
This is Bavuma&rsquo;s third hamstring injury in under two years. He previously played the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final while carrying a similar injury and missed time during the 2023 Boxing Day Test against India. He has also struggled with elbow issues in recent seasons.
South Africa&rsquo;s squad features five uncapped players as the team management has opted to rest several key stars, including Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada. Lungi Ngidi is set to join the squad for the second Test.
Following the Zimbabwe series, South Africa will face Australia and England in ODIs before beginning their WTC campaign against Pakistan in October and touring India in November.
South Africa squad: David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj (capt), Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi (2nd Test only), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne, Codi Yusuf.
[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]
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Bavuma Out of ZIM Tests, Maharaj to Lead South Africa

Keshav Maharaj to captain SA as Bavuma ruled out of Zimbabwe Test series with hamstring injury

Bavuma Out of ZIM Tests, Maharaj to Lead South Africa

Keshav Maharaj to captain SA as Bavuma ruled out of Zimbabwe Test series with hamstring injury

June 20, 2025 | 23:45 IST