South Africa’s fast-bowling injury crisis has deepened on the eve of their three-match ODI series against Australia, with young pacer Kwena Maphaka ruled out after suffering a right hamstring strain. Experienced fast bowler Lizaad Williams has been called up as Maphaka’s replacement, further highlighting South Africa’s growing concerns over their pace-bowling resources ahead of a busy home series. Maphaka becomes the latest South African quick to suffer a hamstring injury, joining Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman and Lungi Ngidi on the sidelines. Rabada was already unavailable when the original squad was selected, while Baartman and Ngidi were subsequently ruled out after the 16-member squad was announced. Duan Jansen replaced Baartman, while Nqobani Mokoena came into the squad for Ngidi. The injuries have left South Africa with a relatively inexperienced pace attack for the ODI series. Their available options include allrounders Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch, alongside Gerald Coetzee, who has not played an ODI since November 2023. Duan Jansen and Mokoena have only four ODI appearances between them, while Williams has featured in eight ODIs since making his international debut in 2021. The situation is particularly concerning with South Africa also facing uncertainty over the fitness of Rabada and Ngidi ahead of the three-match Test series against Australia, which begins on October 9. The ODI series will begin in Durban on September 24, followed by matches in Johannesburg on September 27 and Potchefstroom on September 30. Australia will then play a two-day tour match against a South Africa XI on October 3 and 4 before the Test series gets underway in Durban. The second Test will be played in Gqeberha from October 18, with the third Test scheduled for Cape Town from October 27. Updated South Africa ODI Squad Temba Bavuma (captain) Corbin Bosch Matthew Breetzke Gerald Coetzee Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper) Tony de Zorzi Bjorn Fortuin Duan Jansen Marco Jansen Nqobani Mokoena Keshav Maharaj Aiden Markram David Miller Ryan Rickelton (wicketkeeper) Tristan Stubbs Lizaad Williams With several frontline fast bowlers unavailable, South Africa will enter the ODI series with a significantly reshaped bowling attack as they prepare to face Australia on home soil.

New South Wales allrounder Jack Edwards has been called up to Australia’s ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa after Billy Stanlake was ruled out with injury. Spencer Johnson has also been released from the squad to manage his workload. Edwards, who was recently replaced as New South Wales captain after the state said he wanted to focus on his own game, has earned his first ODI call-up. The 24-year-old made his international debut in Australia’s T20I series against Pakistan earlier this year but remains uncapped in the 50-over format. He was with Australia A in India for their two-match four-day series against India A when he received the call-up. Edwards had also been briefly added to Australia’s ODI squad for the series against India last season. Stanlake suffered a side injury during his fifth over in the second match of Australia’s series against Zimbabwe. Australia completed a 3-0 series victory on Sunday, securing the final match by one wicket. Johnson, meanwhile, will be given a break after playing two of the three matches in Zimbabwe. He also played a crucial role with the bat in the final game, helping Nathan Ellis guide Australia to victory. Johnson is expected to join Australia A for the 50-over portion of their tour against India A. The workload management comes after Johnson spent significant time sidelined with a back injury during 2025 and early 2026. Edwards Adds Allrounder Cover Australia’s decision to bring in Edwards rather than another specialist fast bowler could also be linked to Cameron Green’s absence from the Zimbabwe series. Green missed the tour because of a shoulder problem but has continued to train in Harare, and concerns over his availability have been played down in recent days. Australia’s bowling resources will receive a boost in South Africa with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc joining the squad. The multi-format fast bowlers are expected to be rotated across the three-match ODI series. Josh Hazlewood, another member of Australia’s pace attack, played only one match during the Zimbabwe series. Australia travelled to South Africa on Monday, with the first ODI scheduled to be played in Durban on Thursday. The remaining matches will take place in Johannesburg and Potchefstroom before attention turns to the Test series. Handscomb to Lead Australia A Meanwhile, Peter Handscomb will captain Australia A in their opening four-day match against India A on Tuesday. Nathan McSweeney, who could have been considered for the captaincy, will instead be allowed to concentrate on his batting. Handscomb, 35, was included in the Australia A squad with an eye on the Border-Gavaskar series scheduled for January and February next year. With Edwards unavailable for Australia A, Liam Scott will take over the allrounder's role at No. 7. Sam Konstas and Campbell Kellaway are set to open the batting, while offspinners Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchiccioli will feature alongside fast bowlers Fergus O'Neill and Brendan Doggett.

South Africa have suffered another injury setback ahead of their three-match ODI series against Australia, with fast bowler Lungi Ngidi ruled out after sustaining a hamstring injury. Ngidi suffered the injury during the domestic first-class season opener between the Titans and Dolphins last week. Scans conducted on Wednesday confirmed that the right-arm quick will require a period of rehabilitation, ruling him out of the upcoming ODI series. The 30-year-old becomes the third South African seamer to miss the series after Kagiso Rabada and Ottneil Baartman were also sidelined with injuries. Ngidi bowled eight overs in each innings of the match against the Dolphins, while spending some periods off the field. He returned to the action and was present at the end of the game. His workload was significantly lower than that of fellow fast bowlers Marco Jansen and Beyers Swanepoel, who bowled 26 and 20.3 overs respectively. South Africa have named 20-year-old Nqobani Mokoena as Ngidi's replacement. Mokoena earned his maiden ODI cap during South Africa's recent tour of Namibia and has now been handed another opportunity at international level. Mokoena was involved in a first-class match for the Dolphins against Western Province, where he bowled 19 overs on the opening day and finished with figures of 1 for 78. He has since been withdrawn from the game to link up with the national squad, with Bayanda Majola replacing him. The Proteas' pace attack for the Australia ODIs will be led by Marco Jansen, while Duan Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee and Kwena Maphaka provide further fast-bowling options. However, Ngidi's injury could have bigger implications for South Africa beyond the ODI series. His availability for the three-Test series against Australia, beginning on October 9, will only be assessed closer to the start of the series. South Africa are already monitoring the fitness of Rabada, who suffered a hamstring injury during winter training and has not played competitive cricket since featuring in the Indian Premier League in May. With several frontline fast bowlers unavailable or carrying injury concerns, South Africa face an increasingly difficult challenge in managing their bowling resources ahead of the crucial Test series.