South African captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the first ODI of the three-match series against Afghanistan, leaving fans speculating about the reason behind his absence.

Bavuma, a key figure in the Proteas batting lineup, is known for his steady leadership and valuable contributions with the bat. However, his unavailability for the series opener has raised eyebrows across the cricketing community.

AFG vs SA 2024, 1st ODI: Reason for Temba Bavuma’s absence 

Bavuma is absent from the Proteas’ starting XI due to illness. In his absence, Aiden Markram, who is also the T20I captain, is fulfilling the leadership duties.

UPDATE!

Proteas One-Day International (ODI) captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the first ODI against Afghanistan on Wednesday, 18 September due to illness.

Aiden Markram will be the stand-in captain.#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/5mnr1lDOWy

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) September 17, 2024

Meanwhile, Jason Smith has been named as Bavuma’s replacement for the first ODI.

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AFG vs SA 2024, 1st ODI: Playing XI of both teams

South Africa’s stand-in captain Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat first at the Sharjah International Cricket Stadium.

“We are gonna bat first. Quite hot and dry conditions. Look to put a good total on the board,” he said at the toss. “Exciting for [Joson] Smith, he will bat at 6 and bowl for us. Looks alright. Very dry. Gotta decent understanding of the conditions.”

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Allah Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nangeyalia Kharote

South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne(w), Jason Smith, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger

Also READ: AFG vs SA 2024, ODI Series – Broadcast, Live Streaming details | When and where to watch in India, Afghanistan, South Africa, USA & other countries

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