AFG vs SA 2024: Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma ruled out of first ODI

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the first ODI against Afghanistan, which will be played on September 18 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. As per reports, the 34-year-old is dealing with an illness, which forced him to sit out for the first game of the series. In his absence, T20I captain Aiden Markram has been handed the baton to lead the team in the first ODI.

Meanwhile, Bavuma’s form in ODI cricket is a matter of concern for South Africa, keeping the Champions Trophy in mind. He has done well for the national team in the Test matches against the West Indies but has failed to score a single half-century in the last nine ODIs that he played. Under his leadership, even though the Proteas qualified for the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023, his performance was under the scanner as he scored just 145 runs in eight matches.

Also Read: AFG vs SA 2024: Schedule, Squad, Live Streaming, Broadcasters & All you need to know

Afghanistan and South Africa to play their first bilateral series

It will be the first time that the Proteas play a bilateral series against Afghanistan. The two countries faced each other in the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cups, in which, South Africa won both matches. They last met in the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final, which the Aiden Markram-led side won comfortably.

South Africa have also rested several of their senior players for the series against Afghanistan. The likes of Heinrich Klaasen, Rassie van der Dussen, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje among a few others have been given a break as Proteas are eager to find good replacements for those cricketers keeping the ODI World Cup 2027 in mind.

Also Read: AFG vs SA 2024: Top 3 Players to watch out for in upcoming ODI series

Meanwhile, after the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, the rainbow nation would be playing a full-fledged white-ball series against Ireland. Many senior players will be missing that series as well. Aiden Markram will skip the ODI series and in his absence, van der Dussen will be joining the squad.