SL vs SA: Temba Bavuma ruled out of the tour, Keshav Maharaj to lead in ODIs

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the remainder of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka. He got retired hurt while batting in the first ODI in Colombo and didn’t come out to bat later in the innings. He had scored 38 runs off 53 balls in the 301-run chase and had also stitched a crucial partnership with Aiden Markram until then.

The reason for him getting retired hurt was the throw from a Sri Lankan fielder that hit on the tip of his thumb in the 26th over. Temba Bavuma tried to block the throw to avoid getting hit but eventually got hurt only to walk off after a couple of overs. It was rather a turning point in the game as South Africa were cruising then and lost key wickets soon to lose the game by 14 runs.

Keshav Maharaj will take over the mantle of captaincy for the remainder of the ODI series. The captain for the T20I side is not yet named. As for Bavuma, he went for the scans after the end of the opening ODI and the report of the same has returned with a fractured right thumb now.

CSA release an official statement

“The incident took place on Wednesday when Bavuma copped a direct blow to his thumb during the 26th over of play. He was attempting to avoid a fielder’s throw-in and was struck on the right thumb. Bavuma subsequently retired hurt two overs later due to “persistent discomfort”. The timeline for his return to action will be determined post doctor consultations,” the statement from CSA read according to Cricbuzz.

Temba Bavuma has been advised to fly back to South Africa immediately where he will be treated. After losing the first ODI, South Africa will be looking to level the series in the second ODI set to be played on September 4. Reeza Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen are the other two batsmen in the squad who might most probably replace Bavuma.