South African captain Temba They agreed excluded The first ODI of the three-match series against Afghanistanleaving fans speculating about the reason for his absence.
A key figure in the Proteas batting line-up, Bavuma is known for his consistent leadership and valuable contributions with the bat. However, his unavailability for the series opener has raised eyebrows in the cricketing community.
AFG vs SA 2024, 1st ODI: The reason Absence of Temba Bavuma
Bavuma was left out of the Proteas starting XI due to illness. In his absence, Aiden MarkramT20I captain, performs leadership duties.
UPDATED!
Proteas One-Day International (ODI) captain Temba Bavuma will miss the first ODI against Afghanistan on Wednesday, September 18 due to illness.
Aiden Markram will captain the team.#Come with me #BeHisSide pic.twitter.com/5mnr1lDOWy
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) September 17, 2024
Meanwhile, Jason Smith was selected as Bavuma’s replacement for the first ODI.
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AFG vs SA 2024, 1st ODI: 11th game for both teams
The permanent captain of South Africa Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat first at the Sharjah International Cricket Stadium.
“We will fight first. Very hot and dry conditions. Look to score well on the board” he said during the shooting. “It’s exciting for (Joson) Smith, he’s going to bat at 6 and bat for us. Looks good. Very dry. You need to understand the terms properly.”
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Riaz Hasan, Rehmat Shah, Hashemtullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Allah Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Faruqi, Nangeyalia Kharote
South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (w), Jason Smith, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger
