Temba Bavuma ruled out of BAN vs SA 2024 1st Test; Dewald Brevis earns maiden call-up
Skipper Temba Bavuma will miss South Africa's upcoming first Test on their tour of Bangladesh due to an elbow injury sustained during the recent ODI series against Ireland. Explosive batter Dewald Brevis has earned his maiden Test call-up as a cover, while Lungi Ngidi has replaced left-arm seamer Nandre Burger in the squad.
Bavuma missed the final ODI against Ireland in Abu Dhabi and returned home to recuperate from his injury. The right-handed batter's elbow had been troublesome in 2022 as well. Burger, meanwhile, didn't play any game against Ireland and was ruled out due to a 'lumbar stress reaction'. Hence, he will miss the entire series.
Brevis, one of the fastest scorers in the franchise T20 circuit, made his T20I debut during the home series against Australia last year. However, the youngster managed only five runs in two innings and was not picked again. As far as the right-handed batter's first-class career goes, he has played only 12 matches, the last of which came in September 2024, and has accumulated 749 runs, averaging 37.45.
Aiden Markram to lead South Africa in place of Temba Bavuma in the first Test against Bangladesh
With Bavuma injured, Markram will captain the tourists in the opening Test in Dhaka, beginning on October 21. Markram, Proteas' T20I captain, has led the country in limited-overs cricket but is yet to perform the role in the longest format.
South Africa last played Test cricket during the West Indies tour in August and won the series 1-0 by forcing a win in the second. Bangladesh, meanwhile, are coming off a crushing 2-0 series loss in India, but the Tigers are a formidable side at home.
The two-Test series against South Africa will also be all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan's farewell series, having retired from T20Is already. The Tigers are currently in India playing a three-game T20I series.
South Africa's squad for the first Test against Bangladesh: Aiden Markram (C), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Kyle Verreynne (WK), Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada