Kagiso Rabada Ruled Out Of ODI Series, Kwena Maphaka Called Up As Replacement News24 –

South Africa has suffered a major setback as Kagiso Rabada has been ruled out of the ODI series against Australia. This is due to an ankle injury, he underwent scans on Monday and it was confirmed that he will remain out of the series to begin the rehabilitation program under the supervision of South Africa’s medical team.

In Rabada’s absence, Kwena Maphaka has been called up as his replacement. The young bowler was the leading wicket-taker in the T20I series and now he has been added to the ODI squad. South Africa has faced several injury setbacks with Marco Jansen still being sidelined as he is recovering from thumb surgery. Now South Africa’s pace attack relies on Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger and Maphaka.

The first ODI is currently underway at the Cazaly’s stadium in Cairns.  Both sides are coming off a hard-fought T20I series that has Australia scrape past South Africa 2-1, clinching the decider as they won in the final over. The picture changes dramatically in the 50-over game, particularly for Australia, who are struggling with several setbacks.

Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns staged the conclusion of the recent series’ final T20I and has had minimal ODI hosting. The stadium most recently staged a three-match ODI series in 2022 when New Zealand visited Australia. Historically, batting has been tough at this ground. Of the five ODIs hosted here till date, the highest team score is 267, and the highest chase is only 233. The pitch has a tendency to provide early swing to seamers, and scoring runs has not been straightforward, particularly in the early overs.