Temba Bavuma Feels “Fresh And Excited” On Return To Action After Recovering From Injury

November 23, 2024: Ahead of South Africa’s two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on November 27 in Durban, skipper Temba Bavuma has expressed his excitement and relief at making his return to the national squad after a challenging period of recovery from an elbow injury.

Bavuma, who had been sidelined due to the injury, shared his feelings of “freshness” and enthusiasm as he prepares to get back to batting and leading the team on the field.

“I’m quite fresh and excited to be putting on my pads, to be running on the field,” Bavuma said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, showing his eagerness to return to action. The 34-year-old also opened up about the mental challenges he faced during his rehabilitation process, admitting that it wasn’t easy to deal with the setbacks. “When you’re injured and you start in a rehab process, it’s always tough. It’s just [about] trying to get over all those mental demons and get yourself into a space where you accept what it is that is happening and you try to deal with it,” he said, reflecting on the difficult weeks of recovery.

Bavuma’s injury history includes an episode from October, during an ODI against Ireland, when he injured his elbow after falling awkwardly while attempting a run. He was forced to retire hurt on 35 and did not return to the field later in the match. This injury is reminiscent of the one he suffered during South Africa’s T20I tour of India in 2022, which had kept him out of their subsequent series in England. In his absence, Matthew Breetzke was called up to make his Test debut in Bangladesh.

South Africa’s squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka includes a few significant changes from the one that played in Bangladesh. Temba Bavuma’s return as captain is a notable inclusion, following his recovery. Additionally, Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee make their return to the Test side, marking their first appearances since the home series against India earlier this year.

The 14-player squad for the series, which will see matches in Durban (Nov 27 – Dec 1) and Port Elizabeth (Dec 5-9), is as follows:

South Africa Squad:

• Temba Bavuma (C)
• David Bedingham
• Gerald Coetzee
• Tony de Zorzi
• Marco Jansen
• Keshav Maharaj
• Aiden Markram
• Wiaan Mulder
• Senuran Muthusamy
• Dane Paterson
• Kagiso Rabada
• Tristan Stubbs
• Ryan Rickelton
• Kyle Verreynne

With Bavuma back in charge and key players like Jansen and Coetzee returning to the fold, South Africa will be hoping to make a strong statement in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, as they aim to bounce back and continue their quest for success in the longer format.