Proteas white-ball captain Temba Bavuma has opted against going under the knife on his fractured left elbow.
The 32-year-old, who suffered the injury during the fourth T20I against India in June, hopes this will give him the best chance to recover in time for the T20 World Cup in Australia.
The Proteas will begin their campaign against a qualifying team in Hobart on 24 October.
“There was the option of an operation, but I decided against it,” Bavuma said during the KFC Mini Cricket’s national seminar in Sun City.
“I am working on hyperbaric therapy to help the bone repair process. It’s a bit difficult to say right now how far I am from a full recovery.
“There is a lot of movement I can do with my elbow, but of course, I have not yet had the chance to get deliveries with the cricket ball, fast deliveries to really measure me [where I am].
“There is still a bit of discomfort [in my elbow]. So it’s important for me to take things step by step. ”
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Bavuma has copped some flak recently for his slow scoring in T20 cricket.
In the four matches he played against India in June, he made a total of 61 runs at a strike rate of 103.38. At last year’s World Cup in the UAE, his 91 runs in four innings came at a strike rate of 108.33.
“The criticism against me has always been there, no matter what my statistics look like, but I think it is something I have accepted,” he said.
“I don’t know if it comes from the media or people in cricket circles. Maybe they feel other people need to be in the position I am in. All I can do is accept it.
“As players, we are always looking for ways to get better. The game moves in such a way that you always have to get better and better. There is room for me to do it in the T20 setup.
“People who really follow cricket, for the better, will understand things.”
