South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the second Test against Bangladesh, which will begin on Tuesday in Chattogram. Bavuma failed to recover in time from an elbow injury, and in his absence, Aiden Markam will continue to serve as the stand-in captain of the Proteas.
“We just feel medically, he’s not going to be ready for the second Test. We will tone down the [rehabilitation] program so that he can be ready for the Sri Lankan series,” South Africa’s Test coach Shukri Conrad said from Dhaka as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
A decision has yet to be made, on whether Bavuma will stay with the squad or return to South Africa to recover from his injury and play domestic cricket. South Africa’s first-class domestic competition will begin next week, and the Lions’, a team where Bavuma plays, will play three matches before the Proteas’ opening Test against Sri Lanka.
“I’d like him to stay [in Bangladesh]and I’ve communicated that with him. But I also know that he’s got a young family. But yes, I’d like him to stay. He still plays a valuable role. It’s still his team. We’ll see how it unfolds,” Conrad added.
Bavuma’s latest setback dates back to earlier this month in an ODI against Ireland. During the match, he fell awkwardly while trying to complete a run. He retired hurt on 35 during that game and didn’t turn up to take the field later in the match. The elbow injury bears similarity to the one that Bavuma sustained on a T20I tour of India in 2022. Later that year, the injury ruled him out of South Africa’s tour of England.
In Bavuma’s place, Matthew Breetzke was called in and received his debut Test cap in Mirpur. There are other possible options available to replace Bavuma, but it will depend on the setup that South African management decides to field. In the opening Test, South Africa forced Bangladesh to pack on 106 in the first innings with a four-bowler attack, which featured two pacers and two spinners.
During the series opener, Kagiso Rabada etched his name in the history book by becoming the quickest to hit 300 Test wickets in terms of ball bowled. Conrad gave a special tribute to the player he called “our superstar Rolls Royce fast bowler.” Rabada took nine wickets in the match and his first five-wicket haul in the subcontinent.
“We are an inexperienced side, but we still need our leaders. KB led from the front there with the ball. He carried this attack, as he has done for quite a while now. And then backed up by some really valuable contributions by others with the ball, and then guys with the bat as well,” Conrad remarked.