South Africa's preparation for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 got a bit shaky, as their captain Temba Bavuma will miss the important warm-up games against Afghanistan and New Zealand.
Bavuma is going back home because of family reasons, and in his absence, T20I captain Aiden Markram will step in as the captain for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup warm-up matches against Afghanistan and New Zealand in India.
South Africa will play their first warm-up match against Afghanistan on September 29 at Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram and then face New Zealand on October 2 at the same venue.
Notably, South Africa will open their World Cup 2023 campaign against Sri Lanka on October 7 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, and Bavuma is likely to return in time for their opening match. For now, Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed Bavuma’s return home due to family reasons.
South Africa squad for World Cup 2023
Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.
South Africa’s full schedule for the World Cup 2023:
October 7: South Africa v Sri Lanka, Delhi)
October 12: South Africa v Australia, Lucknow
October 17: South Africa v Netherlands, Dharamsala
October 21: South Africa v England, Mumbai
October 24: South Africa v Bangladesh, Mumbai
October 27: South Africa v Pakistan, Chennai
November 1: South Africa v New Zealand, Pune
November 5: South Africa v India, Kolkata
November 10: South Africa v Afghanistan, Ahmedabad
