In a setback for South Africa, team captain Temba Bavuma will be unavailable for the ODI World Cup warm-up matches due to family-related reasons. Despite already being in India for the tournament, Bavuma has opted to return home for personal matters.
During his absence, Aiden Markram will assume leadership responsibilities as the team's captain for the warm-up matches, as officially confirmed by Cricket South Africa.
Bavuma's unavailability extends to the two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 warm-up matches against Afghanistan and New Zealand scheduled for September 29 and October 2, respectively. Cricket South Africa announced this development, expressing that Aiden Markram will lead the side during Bavuma's absence.
In addition to Bavuma's absence, South Africa will also miss the services of their star pacers, Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala. Nortje's recurring lower-back issues have prevented him from achieving full fitness. This setback comes after his absence from the recent home ODIs against Australia, during which South Africa managed to secure victory despite initially trailing 0-2. Adding to their challenges, Sisanda Magala is sidelined due to a knee injury.
This isn't the first time that health concerns have affected Nortje's participation in the World Cup; he previously missed the 2019 ODI World Cup, and his absence was notably felt. Given his experience and success, particularly in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Nortje's presence would have been invaluable for South Africa, especially in subcontinent conditions. To fill the void left by Nortje and Magala, Andile Phehlukwayo and Lizaad Williams have been called up as replacements.
South Africa's World Cup journey will commence with their opening match against Sri Lanka on October 7 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The absence of the instrumental Anrich Nortje poses a challenge for skipper Temba Bavuma and the team, as his raw pace and ability to secure vital breakthroughs will be missed. It's worth noting that during the 2019 World Cup, Chris Morris stepped in to cover for the injured Nortje.
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