Bavuma ruled out as Maharaj to lead remaining SL series

|| CF DESK ||

Temba Bavuma, South Africa's usual captain, will miss the rest of the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka due to a bizarre accident in the ODI series opener, which resulted in a right thumb fracture.

For the remaining two ODIs, Keshav Maharaj will take over as captain, while the selection panel has yet to appoint a leader for the three-match T20I series that follows.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, when Bavuma was struck in the thumb by a direct blow during the 26th over of play. He was struck on the right thumb while attempting to escape a fielder's throw-in.

Bavuma was forced to quit hurt after two overs due to "persistent discomfort," according to a CSA statement.

Further scans on Bavuma's thumb revealed a fracture, prompting the 31-year-old to return home as quickly as possible to contact a doctor.

"The timeline for his return to action will be determined post doctor consultations", CSA added.

South Africa lost the first ODI by 14 runs and trail 0-1 in the three-match series with the second scheduled to be played on Saturday (September 4).