South African skipper Temba Bavuma, who returned home amid some personal reasons, missed the warm-up fixtures before the opening of the World Cup. However, SA coach Rob Walter is expecting the skipper-opener to be back in time and lead the team against Sri Lanka in the World Cup. For the time being, Aiden Markram is supposed to lead the team until Bavuma returns.
“Temba’s is a personal situation, and he left the team due to personal reasons, and we are looking forward to him coming back next week. So, the impact on the team will be negligible. A guy like Temba has played a lot and has scored recently, so I am not worried about him personally,” Walter said.
Earlier this month, Bavuma scored a stunning 114 against Australia in the first ODI but struggled with a hamstring pull later. The skipper continued to play the other two ODIs but was rested from the fourth ODI, keeping precautions in mind.
Walter also mentioned that the South African team was fortunate to play on five different kinds of pitches, which will be a huge advantage with Indian pitches in the 2023 World Cup.
“The fortunate part of the South Africa series was the fact that we were exposed to five different pitches, right from the very first game in Bloemfontein till the end. That stands us in good stead. At the end of the day, we will have to respond to the conditions in front of us, have a skill set that matches the needs of the game, and execute it,” Walter added.
South Africa will face their two warm-up games against Afghanistan and New Zealand, followed by Sri Lanka in their opening game of the 2023 World Cup.
