South Africa Test captain Temba Bavuma has reportedly suffered an elbow injury that has ruled him out of the domestic first-class final which is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg on April 10. Bavuma was supposed to join the Lions squad from Cape Town, but did not arrive in Johannesburg.
The injury setback for Proteas's captain comes nearly two months before the ICC World Test Championship final in England, where South Africa will take defending champions Australia, and the contest is scheduled to start from June 11. South Africa have qualified for the final of the WTC for the first time in their history.
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As per ESPNcricinfo, the Four-Day Series final was to be Bavuma’s last game of the ongoing season.
Temba first fractured his left elbow in 2022, which forced him out of action for three months. During his recovery, he missed South Africa’s England tour. Last year, during an ODI against Ireland in Abu Dhabi, he ended up injuring his left elbow again after falling while taking a run.
Bavuma's last outing came during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where South Africa got out of the tournament after losing the semifinal against New Zealand. Bavuma was supposed to feature for the Lions for their final first-class league match in Bloemfontein last week, which was washed out due to rain.
Bavuma has played 63 Test matches, where he scored 3606 runs at an average of 37.95, including four centuries and 24 half centuries with the highest score of 172. Bavuma's last Test outing came against Pakistan, where South Africa defeated Pakistan 2-0 in two Test match series. Bavuma scored 106 runs in the second Test match against Shan Masood's side, and South Africa won that clash by 10 wickets.