The match is on June 11 in England.
South Africa Test skipper Temba Bavuma may sit out for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 Final against Australia, set to take place in June this year. This comes after he didn’t feature in the CSA 4-Day Series Division 1 Final due to an elbow injury.
The 34-year-old was expected to team up with the Lions to compete with the Titans in Johannesburg. But he didn’t board the bus. Bavuma has a niggle in his left elbow, the same spot where he has succumbed to an injury earlier. Lions’ captain Dominic Hendricks was looking forward to Bavuma’s inclusion in the playing XI, however, the extent of his injury is not known.
In 2022, Bavuma was out of action for three months after fracturing the same left elbow. He had to keep out of South Africa’s England tour. He had reinjured the same elbow last year while taking a single against Ireland in the ODI series. Despite battling mental demons over his batting concerns, he made a stunning comeback with two Test centuries against Sri Lanka. He then took over the captaincy reins for the Champions Trophy 2025 and led his side to the semi-finals. He scored half-centuries in both games as he batted with heavy bandages over his elbow.
However, since then, he has not played any competitive cricket. With the majority of players busy with the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025, South Africa will be greatly affected by the lack of experienced players in the Test format of the game.
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South Africa lead the WTC 2023-25 points table with 69.44 PCT, followed by Australia with 67.54. The two teams will clash on June 11 at the iconic Lord’s in England.
The Protea have been undefeated in their last eight matches. The last Test loss came a year ago against New Zealand. Australia would’ve been unbeaten in their last nine games if they hadn’t lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 opener against Jasprit Bumrah-led India.
In the previous cycle, South Africa narrowly missed the Final as India succeeded in playing against the winners, Australia. However, in the final of the 2019-21 cycle, SA ended in the sixth spot.
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