South Africa are sweating on the health of middle-order batter Temba Bavuma as he nurses a nagging elbow damage forward of the primary Test towards Australia on the Gabba.
Bavuma will not bat within the first innings of the tour recreation towards a Cricket Australia XI at Allan Border Field however captain Dean Elgar mentioned he was hopeful the 32-year-old would get better in time for the second innings.
The damage is a priority for the Proteas as Bavuma sat out the latest Test tour of England with the identical elbow challenge.
Elgar, who made 109 in South Africa’s 7-335 on day one of many tour recreation, mentioned all the pieces was being completed behind the scenes to ensure Bavuma was match and in a position to get a while within the center earlier than the primary Test.
“This is an elbow injury he’s had before and came right, and I think he’s just jarred it a little bit,” Elgar mentioned.
“I am not too concerned just yet. Hopefully he can come out and bat in the second innings here.
“We simply want to provide him the perfect alternative to get a while within the center and hopefully make himself accessible for the primary Test. We want him match.”
Elgar mentioned it was “simple to leap to conclusions” about South Africa’s lack of runs in the recent series in England where he said they were “out-skilled in actually powerful batting situations”.
He has no doubt that scoring enough runs for his fast bowling quartet to defend will be vital in Australia.
“In Australia you want runs on the board,” he mentioned.
“We want to provide our bowlers the perfect probability to take twenty wickets and we have to rating runs to purchase them time within the recreation…to provide us the perfect probability of profitable.
“Runs are vitally important in Test cricket and while we haven’t been up to scratch of late.
“I have never shied away from these conversations. I’ve been open and sincere with our batters within the changeroom.
“It is good to see guys respond like they did today.”
The unbeaten and aggressive 76 by wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne towards Cricket Australia was a kind of responses that Elgar was searching for.
The 25-year-old made his maiden Test century, an unbeaten 136, towards New Zealand in Christchurch earlier this yr.
“I think it is innings like this to get his confidence going with regards to the international scene,” Elgar mentioned.
“It was good for him to play that way and I think he always plays his best cricket when he is looking to score and be positive which is a promising sign for us going forward into the series.”
