Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Friday that Kagiso Rabada, the country’s top fast bowler, had a right hamstring injury during winter training. His preparations for a crucial international season are hampered by this ailment. At a crucial point, the injury adds a degree of doubt to South Africa’s planning.
Rabada was already rested from the team that will travel to Namibia the following week for three ODIs against Namibia and a T20I tri-series that also includes Zimbabwe. His absence from the tour was attributed by the board to workload management, which also applied to the majority of the front-line pace attack and both captains, Aiden Markram in red-ball cricket and Temba Bavuma in white-ball cricket.
According to CSA, Rabada will go through more testing to determine the extent of the injury and how it can affect his availability for future games. Next week, South Africa’s international schedule starts with three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and a T20I tri-series against Zimbabwe in Namibia.
As part of workload management, Rabada has been rested from the team along with important bowlers and leaders Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma. Rabada’s fitness is a top priority for the selectors over the summer because he is essential to the red-ball plans and has more Test assignments against Bangladesh and England planned between November and January.
Rabada’s right hamstring was injured during winter training, according to Cricket South Africa, which also stated that it interfered with his routine. Beyond that, no rehabilitation timeframe has been made public, and the board has not revealed the type or severity of the injury.
His availability for the home season will become more apparent after additional evaluations are finished. The speedster was unable to play in South Africa’s late 2025 Test series against India due to a rib issue, but the squad still won 2-0 without him. In October 2025, he made his most recent Test debut in Rawalpindi, when South Africa and Pakistan drew the series 1-1.
In related news, Senuran Muthusamy, an all-rounder for South Africa A, was sidelined for the first unofficial Test match against Bangladesh A because of a lower back spasm. Muthusamy, who played for South Africa in the 2025 World Test Championship, is still a possible important member of the team as they try to win the World Test Championship again.
