Temba Bavuma's fitness woes give South Africa cause for concern ahead of semi-final

Temba Bavuma (Pic: AFP)

Injured South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma on Wednesday said he is not "100 percent" and the team will decide later if he is fit enough to play in the World Cup semi-final against Australia.

Bavuma, an opening batsman, struggled with his hamstring in the win over Afghanistan and remains in doubt for Thursday's game in Kolkata. "Physically I feel alright. Obviously not 100 percent," Bavuma told reporters.

"So this day becomes important in terms of a decision about tomorrow. I'm quite confident, but it's not a unilateral decision that will be made." On his mindset on the eve of the semi-final, Bavuma added: "A bit nervous of the game. It will be our first semi-final as a team. But I think the feeling is no different from any game that we've encountered within the World Cup."

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Bavuma, 33, strained his hamstring during the win over Afghanistan last Friday and hobbled while batting for his 23 runs. The captain has already missed two games at the World Cup through illness. Coach Rob Walter said Tuesday the team will "not give Bavuma extra protection if the injury does not heal sufficiently and inhibits his play".

The Proteas won seven of their nine league matches to finish second in the 10-team table to book a final-four clash in Kolkata on Thursday. That run included a 134-rout of the Australians at Lucknow four weeks ago. Five-time champions Australia are coming off seven straight wins at the tournament.

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The most shocking World Cup exit for South Africa was their 1999 semi-final loss to Australia after the match in Birmingham ended in a tie and their rivals went through due to a better group finish. Australia also easily came out on top in a 2007 semi-final clash between the teams in the Caribbean.

(With agency inputs)