Centurion [South Africa], April 8 : South Africa has received yet another setback as white-ball skipper Temba Bavuma is set to miss the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan.
South Africa coach Mark Boucher revealed the state of Bavuma's injury after the third ODI. The Proteas suffered a 28-run loss in the third ODI and as a result, Pakistan won the three-match series 2-1 on Wednesday. Bavuma had injured his hamstring while batting in the third ODI. He showed signs of discomfort in the 22nd over, when he had faced 18 balls. He also required on-field treatment.
"Temba is a tough guy so when you see him hobbling around and it's only got worse in the change room, the way he is walking, I think he might have done something fairly bad. He seems to be in pain. It doesn't look good which doesn't put us in a good position," ESPNcricinfo quoted Boucher as saying.
Before the third ODI, Rassie van der Dussen was also ruled out from the game and he is also slated to miss the T20I series against Pakistan.
"Rassie is probably out for 10 days from yesterday. I'd be stupid to push him to try and play in these T20s. He is still staying in the squad and hope he can have a quick turnaround but it doesn't look likely that he is going to get on the park," Boucher said.
Before the third ODI, the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and David Miller departed for India for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). However, Boucher did not give that as excuse for a below-par performance in the third ODI.
"We knew that the IPL guys were leaving and we made arrangements for that. And the guys who came in knew they would be playing the last game and they prepared for that," said Boucher.
"I don't think there is any negativity. The guys are desperate for opportunities. It's not ideal having injuries but with injuries, opportunities open. There are some guys who would like to represent their country and see what international cricket is all about. We want to start winning series, especially at home," he added.