‘Avesh Khan ko bhi illness aaya tha’ – Fans react as South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma gets ruled out of game against England due to illness

In the 20th match of the ODI World Cup 2023, South Africa faced defending champions England at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Ahead of the game, South Africa faced a setback as their skipper, Temba Bavuma, was ruled out of the game due to illness. Star allrounder and T20I skipper Aiden Markram will be leading the side in the game.

At the toss, Markram revealed that Bavuma is ill, so he has been replaced by Reeza Hendricks in the playing XI. “Bavuma is ill, so Reeza comes in. Nice opportunity for him. There might be a little bit of it (pitch) during the powerplay. Sort of motivates you a bit. Not focusing too much on it. It’s about reaching those standards set by us. Reeza has been knocking on the door for a while. He comes in. It’s a fantastic opportunity for him”, says Markram.

Meanwhile, England skipper Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bowl first. England also made three changes in their playing XI as star all-rounder Ben Stokes made a comeback from injury. “We are going to bowl first. Generally, it’s a good ground for chasing; that’s the reason behind it. It’s not about looking back; we need to look forward. We need to be at our best. Stokes comes in; Willey and Atkinson come in for Woakes and Curran. This wicket favours pace, so we are focusing on that. Everyone is eager to get going. We need to be true to ourselves. We need to play our brand of cricket”, says Buttler.

Can South Africa get back on track?

After a disappointing game against the Netherlands, South Africa will be looking to get back on track. The team has won two out of the first three games and will be keen to continue their dominance in the ongoing tournament. On the other hand, England is coming here after a shocking defeat against Afghanistan. The defending champions looked out of touch while playing against Afghanistan in Lucknow.

However, the inclusion of star all-rounder Ben Stokes will surely boost their morale, and the team will look to get back on track as soon as possible. They have won just one game out of the first three in the ongoing tournament. A defeat here will dent their chances of qualifying for the semifinals of the tournament.

Here is how fans react to Temba Bavuma’s illness: