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South Africa's in-form batter Aiden Markram has been ruled out the ongoing five-T20I series against India. Markram tested positive for Covid-19 before the first T20I last week at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
“The #Proteas batsman spent 7 days in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 last week and will not be able to complete his return to play program in time for the last 2 matches,” Cricket South Africa (CSA) said in a statement.
CSA gave an injury update about Quinton de Kock as well. The wicketkeeper-batter is still doubtful for the fourth T20I which will be played on June 17 at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot.
“Wicket-keeper batsman, Quinton de Kock, has made a marked improvement in his recovery from a wrist injury. The Proteas’ medical staff will continue to assess his progress and make a decision on his availability for match four in due course,” CSA further added.
De Kock played in the first T20I where South Africa chased down a record total. He injured his wrist before the second T20I and Reeza Hendricks was named his replacement at top and Heinrich Klaasen as the wicketkeeper.
Markram, De Kock’s IPL run
Markram had a decent run in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Batting in the middle order, the 27-year-old scored 381 runs from 14 games at an average of 47.63 including three half-centuries.
De Kock was in tremendous form in IPL 2022 as well. The explosive batter scored 508 runs from 15 matches at an average of 36.29 including one century and three half-centuries.
Series still alive
The Temba Bavuma-led side is currently leading the five-T20I series by 2-1. Rishabh Pant’s India beat South Africa in the third T20I by a record margin of 48 runs as South African batting lineup collapsed. It was also Pant’s first win as Indian captain. The fourth T20I will be played at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot.
