Mumbai: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the crucial ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 match against England due to illness.
Aiden Markram will captain the side in his absence, the South Africa team management informed.
Bavuma, who addressed the pre-match press conference on Friday, was looking forward to playing on the home ground of his idol Sachin Tendulkar, he had said on Friday.
“Yeah, I think for me, growing up, idolising a guy like Sachin Tendulkar, Wankhede was a stadium you always heard about. So, to have that opportunity to be playing, that’s another tick off my list as a cricketer,” said Bavuma.
Bavuma had also spoken to his teammates who have played at the iconic Wankhede ground and got knowledge of the pitch and other conditions.
“The guys that have played here, JP Duminy, Quinton (de Kock), they’ve spoken about how it can be a batter’s paradise. You get value for your shots and the ball seems to travel further.
“So, I think as batters it can build a lot of confidence. And if it is your day, you can fill your boots. And I guess just the atmosphere of it all, it is a full ground, it can really be something to enjoy. I think our real assessment will happen on the day. We’ll see what’s happening there, and then try to put our best foot forward,” Bavuma said.
But in the end, he could not check one more thing on his to-do list and had to sit out of the match due to health reasons.