Ahead of Thursday's Semifinal, Despite Discomfort, Temba Bavuma Trains Full Tilt
Temba Bavuma, who is the captain of South Africa, might be battling poor form and a hamstring injury, but he had a lengthy training session despite considerable discomfort ahead of their World Cup semifinal against Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. on Monday While most of his teammates skipped the optional training, Bavuma, with a strapped right thigh, was seen training with full intent. He did fitness drills, took a couple of laps around the outfield, and also did simulated running between the wickets, gradually increasing his pace.
At times, he looked in discomfort and bent over to indicate something to team physio Sizwe Hadebe and strength and conditioning coach Runeshan Moodley.
After about 15 minutes of warm-up, he headed to the nets and batted with a single stump, then used his bat. He faced the bowlers for about 30 minutes. Following the practice session, Bavuma left in a private car, possibly for a scan. The team management didn't give any updates on his injury.
Bavuma possibly suffered the hamstring injury during their match against Afghanistan, as he left the field nine balls into the innings for Afghanistan. Aware of his role as an opener, he returned after four overs to avoid a time penalty, but his movements were visibly hindered as he fielded with caution at mid-off.