South Africa has been dealt a significant blow as Kagiso Rabada will be unavailable for the ODI series against Australia. Rabada sustained an ankle injury and has been ruled out after undergoing scans on Monday. He will begin a rehabilitation program under the supervision of the South African medical team. In Rabada’s absence, Kwena Maphaka has been selected as his replacement. Maphaka, who was the leading wicket-taker in the recent T20I series, has been added to the ODI squad. South Africa is already dealing with the absence of Marco Jansen, who is recovering from thumb surgery, further impacting their pace attack. The team will now rely on Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger, and Kwena Maphaka to lead the pace attack.
The first ODI of the series is currently taking place at Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns. The teams are coming off a competitive T20I series, which Australia won 2-1, clinching the final match. The shift to the 50-over format presents new challenges, especially for Australia, which is facing several setbacks. Cazaly’s Stadium, which hosted the final T20I, has limited experience hosting ODIs, with its most recent series being in 2022. Historically, batting has proven difficult at this ground, with a highest team score of 267 and a highest chase of only 233 in five ODIs. The pitch tends to favor seamers early on, making scoring runs challenging.
