South Africa have dealt with an injury blow ahead of the ODI series against Australia as right-arm medium pacer Ottneil Baartman has been ruled out of a three-match series, which starts on September 24 in Durban, due to a left hamstring injury.
Baartman is the second player to miss out on the series after Kagiso Rabada was also made unavailable for the ODIs with a hamstring concern. Regular captain Temba Bavuma is back, while senior batters David Miller and Quinton de Kock are also part of the ODI series. Meanwhile, swashbuckling batter Dewald Brevis is not part of the squad as he will be preparing for the Test season, with him featuring in first-class cricket. Aiden Markram will be available for the second and third ODIs.
The squad also sees the return of Gerald Coetzee, who last played an ODI in the 2023 World Cup, as he fills in the void left by Rabada, who is out of the ODIs and racing to be fit for the Tests due to his hamstring injury. Duan Jansen has been named as his replacement and will join the squad and his brother Marco when they convene in Durban on September 19, Cricket South Africa said on Sunday. CSA, however, will take a call on his availability for the three-Test series closer to its start on October 9. The Proteas have named a 16-member squad last week, which was as close to their available full strength as possible.
