South African pace bowler Ottneil Baartman has been ruled out of the upcoming 3-match ODI series against Australia. One of the key players for South Africa in white-ball cricket, Ottneil Baartman suffered an injury to his left hamstring in their season opener of first-class cricket. According to reports by ESPN Cricinfo, Ottneil Baartman could only bowl five overs playing for the Dolphins and was not able to bat in their second innings. Ottneil Baartman will now undergo further medical assessment to determine his rehabilitation time.
Ottneil Baartman adds to South Africa’s injury list
For the record, Ottneil Baartman has become the second player to miss out on this 3-match ODI series against Australia after spearhead Kagiso Rabada. Rabada became unavailable for the ODIs with hamstring issues. Cricket South Africa (CSA) has not been able to provide an estimated time for Rabada’s recovery which adds to the tension amongst the fans of South African cricket. A call on Rabada’s availability for the forthcoming three-match Test series against Australia will be taken closer to the start of the series, which is set to start on October 9th.
Ottneil Baartman, if reports are to be believed, could also be in consideration and in line for the Test squad as South Africa will and may need back-up and significant bowling resources as they are set to play 8 Tests across the summer in three series against Australia, Bangladesh and then England, playing 3, 2 & 3 Tests respectively.
Duan Jansen to join brother Marco Jansen in ODI Squad
Duan Jansen is set to join his brother Marco Jansen, who coincidentally took seven wickets in the same first-class match in which Baartman got injured. Duan is now in the South African squad for the 3-match series against Australia. Duan Jansen had a successful outing in Namibia as he was the leading wicket-taker in the Namibia T20I tri-series, which included Zimbabwe as well.
Duan Jansen took five wickets in two ODIs against the hosts Namibia. He was subsequently rested for the third and final match against Namibia on Sunday, which the Proteas won easily by 9 wickets to complete a 3-0 whitewash of Namibia in the ODIs.
High-voltage series on the cards
Despite a few players missing out here and there, a blockbuster series is on the cards when South Africa takes on Australia in a 3-match ODI series in the last week of September. The Aussies, who are resting Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc for the Zimbabwe ODI series, will have the services of them in this series. Josh Hazlewood will be in Zimbabwe and South Africa. This series will be an ideal preparation for both sides looking ahead to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe & Namibia in the months of October and November.
It is a golden opportunity for both sides to acclimatize and get used to the conditions on offer. Australia, being the visitors, will benefit from this series as they will get an idea about the conditions awaiting them in a year’s time. It’s also an opportunity to fine-tune the skills and get an idea of which player does well. For South Africa, it is about testing the bench and seeing which bowler is good enough apart from Rabada or Baartman. Both teams are pedigreed teams in the cricketing world.
Let’s see how this series will unfold when these two teams meet from September 25th onwards for a 3-match ODI series, and then the Test series shall follow in October. It’s tough to predict a favourite for this series between these two champion nations.
Also Read:Â SA vs AUS: Kagiso Rabada Ruled Out Of ODIs, Doubtful For Tests