Bavuma ruled out of Zimababwe Tests, Maharaj to lead South Africa on tour

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Johannesburg, June 20 (IANS) South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe due to a left hamstring strain suffered during the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord’s last week.

Bavuma, who will undergo further scans to determine the extent of the injury, battled the pain during the second innings and played a pivotal knock of 66 along with Aiden Markram’s 136 which guided them to the WTC title.

In Bavuma’s absence, the world champions will be led by spinner Keshav Maharaj in the series which gets underway from June 28 in Bulawayo. The series will also mark the start of the new WTC cycle for both sides.

“Proteas Men’s Test captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe due to a left hamstring strain,” Cricket South Africa wrote on X.

“Bavuma sustained the injury while batting during South Africa’s second innings on day three of the ICC World Test Championship Final against Australia at Lord’s Cricket Ground. He is set to undergo further scans to assess the extent of the injury. Keshav Maharaj will captain the side in his absence,” it added.

Proteas squad includes five uncapped players as South Africa have opted to rest several of their regular all-format players, including Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada. Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi will only be available for the second Test.

This marks Bavuma’s third hamstring injury in under two years. He previously suffered one during the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he played in the semi-final while injured, and again during the Boxing Day Test against India. Additionally, he has dealt with recurring elbow issues and regularly plays with his left elbow heavily strapped.

Following the Zimbabwe series – where Bavuma may return – South Africa’s upcoming schedule includes ODIs against Australia in August and England in September. Their next WTC campaign kicks off against Pakistan in October, followed by a tour of India in November.

Notably, South Africa won’t host a home Test until October 2026, when they are set to face Australia. Bavuma has expressed his desire to continue playing through to the 2027 home ODI World Cup, provided his fitness allows.

South Africa squad: David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj (capt), Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi (second Test only), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne, Codi Yusuf.

–IANS

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2nd T20I: Axar and Varun take two wickets each as England set India a target of 166

Chennai, Jan 25 (IANS) Spin duo of Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets each as England set India a target of 166 after making 165/9 in second T20I at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.

After being put into batting first, captain Jos Buttler was fluent again to top-score with 45, while Brydon Carse led a late counter-attack with 17-ball 31 as England put in a much-improved batting performance. But with the pitch being good for batting and dew setting in, though there’s something in it for bowlers, it remains to be seen if England have enough on board to avoid being 2-0 behind in the five-game series.

For India, Axar and Varun were the standout bowlers with 2-32 and 2-38 respectively, as the hosts’ bowled 14 overs of spin, the joint second-most their slower bowlers have bowled in a men’s T20I game. The start was great forthe hosts as Arshdeep Singh removed Phil Salt with a short ball which he pulled straight to deep square leg.

Buttler bossed Arshdeep in the third over by heaving him twice, before hitting in the gap through off-side to pick two fours and a six. Local boy Washington Sundar struck another blow in power-play as Ben Duckett looked to reverse-sweep his slower ball, but gave a top-edge to point.

While Buttler attacked by slamming Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi for six, Harry Brook dazzled by slog-sweeping and going inside-out against Axar for six and four respectively. But his promising stay was cut short by Chakaravarthy, who got one to turn in from outside off and castle Brook.

At the mid-point of the innings, Axar had the big fish when Buttler tried to go over mid-wicket, but was caught in the deep for 45 off 30 balls. The left-arm spinner struck again when Liam Livingstone went hard on the pull, but holed out to deep backward square leg.

Debutant Jamie Smith gave a good account of his foot movement by hammering two sixes and a four in his 12-ball 22, before lofting to long-off against Abhishek Sharma.

Carse stepped up by dancing down the pitch and using his crease well to hit three sixes and a four in his 17-ball 31, before he and Jamie Overton fell in quick succession. A boundary each from Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood ensured England got over the 160-mark.

Brief Scores: England 165/9 (Jos Buttler 45, Brydon Carse 31; Axar Patel 2-32, Varun Chakaravarthy 2-38) against India

–IANS

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Champions League: Man City make knockout phase play-offs, Real Madrid, Bayern win

Manchester, Jan 30 (IANS) Manchester City secured a place in the UEFA Champions League play-offs after a second half comeback saw Pep Guardiola side beat Club Brugge 3-1 in their final league stage clash.

Victory means that City finished the league phase in 22nd place and will go into the draw for the play-off stages of the Champions League, which will be made on Friday.

With a victory needed to avoid an early exit, Pep Guardiola’s side were on the front foot from the early stages but fell behind on the stroke of half-time when Raphael Onyedika stunned the Etihad Stadium.

City were level eight minutes after the restart with a superb solo goal from Mateo Kovacic before Joel Ordonez turned Josko Gvardiol’s cross into his own net.

And the nerves were settled further when Savinho added a third with an excellent control and finish from John Stones’ perfect cross-ball.

The win secured a place in the top 24 and City will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich for a place in the last-16.

“Going to Bayern Munich or Real Madrid will be really tough but it’s in two weeks and in two weeks we have a few players back, the new signings back, so hopefully we can do two good games.”

Meanwhile, Rodrygo struck twice for a second Champions League game in a row as Real Madrid once again demonstrated their attacking flair to end the league phase on a high with a 3-0 win over Brest.

The Brazil forward opened the scoring by skilfully weaving through the Brest defence and finding the net via the far post. Jude Bellingham then tapped in to finish a counterattack early in the second half, before Rodrygo reacted first to Marco Bizot’s save from Kylian Mbappe to blast in the visitors’ third.

Madrid finished 11th in the league phase table, ahead of Bayern in the standings on away wins.

On the other hand, FC Bayern beat Slovan Bratislava 3-1 in the last match of the Champions League’s league phase on Wednesday night. Thomas Muller handed Bayern an early lead, with Harry Kane doubling the advantage after the hour.

Kingsley Coman put the game to bed in the closing stages before Marko Tolic got a consolation goal for Slovan. Despite the result, Munich will contest the play-offs for the right to reach the round of 16.

–IANS

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Kalinga Super Cup: Punjab FC thrash home side Odisha FC to book QF spot

Bhubaneshwar, April 21 (IANS) Punjab FC delivered a clinical performance to cruise past Odisha FC 3-0 and book their place in the quarterfinals of the Kalinga Super Cup Round of 16 match which was played here at the Kalinga Stadium.

Goals from Asmir Suljic, Ezequiel Vidal, and Nihal Sudeesh ensured the Shers get the better of the hosts. They will face FC Goa in the quarterfinals on 26th who got the better of I-League side Gokulam Kerala FC in a similar score line.

Punjab FC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis opted for an aggressive 4-2-4 formation, trusting his all-Indian defence line of Khaiminthang Lhungdim, Suresh Meitei, Paramveer, and Abhishek Singh. With Muheet Shabbir in goal and Ricky Shabong and Nikhil Prabhu anchoring the midfield, the attacking line was led by Muhammad Suhail, Asmir Suljic, Ezequiel Vidal, and Petros Giakoumakis. On the other side, Odisha FC—last season’s runners-up—lined up in a 3-4-3 under Sergio Lobera, with Amrinder Singh in goal and a solid backline featuring Mourtada Fall and Carlos Delgado; their frontline included the likes of Hugo Boumous, Isak Vanlalruatfela, and Dorielton Silva.

Odisha FC dominated possession early on, but it was Punjab FC who fired the first warning shot, Suljic testing Amrinder in the 5th minute. The Shers, pressing high and showing intent, took the lead in the 14th minute. A sharp through ball from Vidal found Suljic, who cleverly dinked it over the onrushing keeper to make it 1-0. Punjab’s high press and compact shape kept Odisha frustrated, and they nearly doubled their lead on multiple occasions. Suhail came close after a deflected effort in the 33rd minute, while Ricky Shabong saw his shot saved after a flowing move involving Suljic.

Odisha’s best chance came in the 36th minute when Dorielton found himself one-on-one with the Shers’ Muheet but missed the target. A minute later, Boumous tested Muheet again, only to be denied by a brilliant reflex save. Just before halftime, Suljic and Shabong combined beautifully, but the final shot lacked sting. The Shers went into the break with a deserved 1-0 lead.

Punjab FC faced an early change in the second half with Ashish Pradhan replacing Nikhil Prabhu. But the change did not slow down their momentum. The Shers continued to threaten Odisha’s high line with swift transitions and clever link-ups between Vidal and Suljic. In the 56th minute, Vidal nearly scored with a two-shot attempt, his second going just wide. Odisha, meanwhile, struggled with their finishing despite some promising build-up play. The Shers defense stood tall, with goalkeeper Muheet once again stepping up when required.

In the 69th minute, Vidal turned on the flair, skipping past his marker and unleashing a sublime left-footed shot from outside the box that nestled into the far corner to double Punjab’s lead. From there, the Shers stuck to their game plan, absorbing pressure, staying compact, and waiting for their moment. Odisha’s errors in the final third continued, while the Shers maintained their discipline. With the match heading into the final stretch, Odisha pushed hard but were repeatedly shut down by the Sher’s all Indian backline.

In the 90th minute, the Shers sealed the match in style. Substitute Manglenthang Kipgen played a perfectly timed ball from half-line to Nihal Sudeesh, who calmly beat the keeper and slotted in Punjab’s third of the night. Punjab FC kept pushing even in stoppage time, trying to find their fourth. At the final whistle, it was a complete performance from Dilmperis’ men to sail into the quarter finals.

–IANS

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