The South Africa National Cricket Team has suffered a big setback as their key left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj, has been ruled out of the second and final Test match against Zimbabwe.
Keshav Maharaj Ruled Out with Groin Injury
With Keshav Maharaj unavailable, South Africa will also need a new captain for the match, which begins on Sunday, July 6. The selectors have chosen a player from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to lead the team.
Temba Bavuma recently led South Africa to victory in the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord’s. However, he suffered a hamstring injury during the match, which ruled him out of the Test series against Zimbabwe.
With Bavuma out, Keshav Maharaj was named captain for the first Test. Under his leadership, South Africa performed strongly and secured a big 328-run win over Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Proteas left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has been ruled out of the second Test against Zimbabwe due to a left groin strain.
The captain for the series sustained the injury while batting on day three of the first Test on Monday. He will
return home for further assessment to… pic.twitter.com/Kn51qpgErH— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) July 2, 2025
Maharaj made a good all-round contribution, taking four wickets and scoring 21 and 51 runs in the match. Unfortunately, he has now also been ruled out of the second Test due to a left groin strain he suffered while batting on Day 3 of the first match.
“Proteas left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has been ruled out of the second Test against Zimbabwe due to a left groin strain,” Cricket South Africa stated.
“The captain for the series sustained the injury while batting on day three of the first Test on Monday. He will return home for further assessment to determine the extent of the injury,” CSA added.
Keshav Maharaj has been replaced as captain for the second Test by Wiaan Mulder, who recently joined Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025 as a replacement player.
Senuran Muthusamy has been added to the squad to take Maharaj’s place as a player. Meanwhile, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has decided to release Lungi Ngidi, who was supposed to join the team on Wednesday, in order to give the new fast bowlers another opportunity.
“Senuran Muthusamy has been named as his replacement, while all-rounder Wiaan Mulder will lead the side in the second Test, which begins on Saturday, 06 July.”
“Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who was set to join the squad on Wednesday, has been released to give the seamers who impressed in the first Test another opportunity to build on their performances,” CSA further stated.
Wiaan Mulder Named Captain
South Africa’s all-format head coach, Shukri Conrad, spoke about appointing Wiaan Mulder as captain for the second Test. He said that Mulder brings some leadership experience, as he had captained South African teams during his younger days. He elaborated:
“He is obviously on top of his game at the minute. He’s captained in his youth days, SA U19s. He shows some really good leadership qualities. This is part of his journey where he is starting to take more responsibility in the side. We have seen him do a lot of that in this short series thus far and I think it will be a great opportunity for Wiaan to grow into becoming a leader in this group.”
“He’s got all the attributes and I think the more responsibilitirs I give him, the better Wiaan reacts. I think we’ll see improved performances. I think he thrives on that responsibility”
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