South Africa’s Theunis de Bruyn is set to miss the third and final Test of the ICC World Test Championship series in Sydney against Australia.
Theunis de Bruyn Set To Miss 3rd Test Against Australia
De Bruyn will return home to South Africa for the birth of his first child and is set to miss the Sydney Test, which begins on 4 January 2023. The middle-order batter had come into the starting XI for the second Test replacing Rassie van der Dussen.
“Batter Theunis de Bruyn will miss the third #AUSvSA Test in Sydney as he returns home for the birth of his first child. We wish him everything of the best for this exciting part of his life,” Cricket South Africa (CSA) tweeted on Saturday.
SQUAD UPDATE 🚨
Batter Theunis de Bruyn will miss the third #AUSvSA Test in Sydney as he returns home for the birth of his first child 🙏
We wish him everything of the best for this exciting part of his life 🍼#BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/dzI6eckL65
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) December 31, 2022
De Bruyn’s absence means either van der Dussen could make his way back to the playing XI or the big-hitting reserve wicketkeeper Henrich Klaasen, who has played only one Test, may be given an opportunity.
Lungi Ngidi has also struggled for wickets, taking just two scalps across the two Tests. Gerald Coetzee, the 22-year-old seamer who impressed in the warm-up games, Lizaad Williams and Glenton Stuurman are the other quick bowling options in the squad.
Australia will aim to complete a 3-0 series sweep before they head to India for the final four Tests of their WTC23 campaign. A whitewash would all but seal their place in the WTC23 final.
The Proteas were number three in the World Test Championship race but back-to-back losses have seen them slip to number four behind Australia, India and Sri Lanka.
The 3rd Test match of the series will be played on January 4 at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney.
