Elbow injury sidelines Bavuma two months before WTC final

South Africa's Test captain Temba Bavuma has suffered an elbow injury again and will miss the domestic first-class final which starts in Johannesburg today. Bavuma was due to join up with the Lions team on Tuesday from Cape Town, but did not arrive in Johannesburg.

The Lions found out late on Wednesday that Bavuma would not play the match because of the niggle, which has taken place just over two months before the World Test Championship final in June.

ESPNcricinfo has ascertained Bavuma's injury is on the left elbow - the same one he has injured before. The Lions are unaware at this stage how serious the injury is and were caught off guard by Bavuma's late withdrawal. On Wednesday morning, Lions captain Dominic Hendricks told the media he was looking forward to playing with Bavuma in the marquee game.

Bavuma fractured his left elbow in 2022, which forced him out of South Africa's tour to England that year and sidelined him for three months. He then reinjured the same elbow when he fell awkwardly while completing a single against Ireland in an ODI in Abu Dhabi last year and missed South Africa's Tests against Bangladesh. He had no red-ball match practice before the home summer and spoke openly about battling mental demons after a wretched run with his fitness, which also included injuries to both hamstrings. Despite that, Bavuma made a stirring comeback with two centuries in four Tests and a run of four fifty-plus scores against Sri Lanka. He also captained South Africa to the Champions Trophy semi-final but has batted with heavy strapping on his elbow throughout the season.

Since the Champions Trophy, Bavuma has played no competitive cricket but was present with the Lions for their final first-class league match in Bloemfontein last week, which was completely rained out. He then traveled to Cape Town and was due to rejoin the team ahead of the final against the Titans but news of his injury has since emerged.

South Africa have just over eight weeks before the WTC final against Australia which starts on June 11. They are planning practice matches from mid-May, including a game against an international opposition in England, ahead of the final. They will not play any cricket before then with several players involved at the IPL 2025 and others on the county circuit. Bavuma does not have any overseas engagements and the final was due to be his last match of the season, but the latest niggle has scuppered those plans. He was named on CSA's central contract list this week.