Bavuma to miss Zimbabwe Tests; Maharaj to lead Proteas

South Africa’s World Test Championship (WTC) title-winning captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe due to a left hamstring strain. Keshav Maharaj will take over as the captain for the red-ball series starting from June 28.

Bavuma sustained the injury during day three of the World Test Championship Final at Lord’s while batting in the second innings. He continued to bat with pain and put on a fight with a well-made half century, stitching up a match-winning partnership with centurion Aiden Markram.

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Bavuma is set to undergo further scans to assess the extent of the injury, while experienced Maharaj will lead the side, which consists of five uncapped players.

The Proteas had faced Zimbabwe in a warm-up fixture, before taking on Australia for the Ultimate Test at the Home of Cricket, where they were crowned the Test champions. South Africa will take on Zimbabwe in the first Test from June 28, followed by the second Test from July 6, with both matches taking place at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.

Smith injured, Labuschagne dropped from Australia squad

Australia will feature a new-look batting line-up for the first Test against the West Indies in Barbados next week, with Steve Smith forced out of the side through injury, and an out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne dropped.

Josh Inglis and Sam Konstas have been named as the new faces in the squad ahead of the first Test against the West Indies, that begins on June 25, the first match for both sides in the World Test Championship 2027 cycle.

Smith’s finger injury sustained in the World Test Championship Final has ruled him out of the team, though there are hopes of a return for the second Test in Grenada from July 3.

Meanwhile, after a barren two-year run in Test cricket, Labuschagne was moved up to open in the Lord’s Final, though made just 17 and 22 in the defeat to South Africa.

The incoming pair have impressed in their early outings, with Konstas turning heads in taking on World No.1 Test bowler Jasprit Bumrah and compiling a half-century on Boxing Day in Melbourne, and Inglis scoring a century on Test debut in Sri Lanka earlier this year.