South Africa Skipper Temba Bavuma Suffers Elbow Injury Before WTC Final

Temba Bavuma has reportedly picked up an elbow injury, which means he will miss the final of the CSA 4-Day Series Division 1 tournament. The match is set to begin on Thursday, April 10. What makes this more serious is that the World Test Championship (WTC) final is just a couple of months away.

The South African Test captain was supposed to join the Lions on Tuesday, April 8, but he did not travel from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The Lions only found out about his injury later on Wednesday, April 9.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Lions captain Dominic Hendricks was looking forward to having Temba Bavuma in the side for the crucial final. Bavuma had previously fractured his left elbow back in 2022, which ruled him out of South Africa’s tour of England. He was out of action for about three months.

Last year, during an ODI against Ireland in Abu Dhabi, Bavuma hurt the same elbow again after falling while trying to take a quick single. Since then, his elbow has often been seen heavily strapped throughout the season.

Bavuma’s Recent Test Form a Boost for South Africa

South Africa are set to face Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s on June 11. With just over eight weeks to go, the team is planning to play warm-up matches from mid-May, including one against an international side in England (yet to be confirmed). Most of their Test players are currently playing in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Temba Bavuma was recently included in Cricket South Africa’s central contract list. In red-ball cricket, he has been in good form with three fifties and two centuries in his last seven Test innings. The Proteas will be hoping he recovers fully in time for the big final against Australia.