Hamageddon strikes again: Maphaka ruled out as South Africa's fourth seamer falls to hamstring woe

Call it what it is — a hamdemic. Or should that be Hamaggedon? Either way, the jokes write themselves for a South African side that on Wednesday saw Kwena Maphaka ruled out of the ODI series against Australia that starts at Kingsmead on Thursday.

Maphaka is the fourth quick to fall victim to the same complaint, following Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Ottneil Baartman out of the door before him. The denominator common to all four cases? Hamstring injuries.

Lizaad Williams replaced Maphaka — whose calamity Cricket South Africa announced on Wednesday — and seems likely to get a game on Thursday. Williams is a willing and able seamer, but the home side will miss Maphaka's left-arm zip. Especially with 192 ODI caps — the combined ODI experience of the ill-fated four — ripped from the equation.

A nation that bowls fast

This being South Africa, where a fast bowler or three can be found around any braai fire, the problem is not as acute as it would be elsewhere. Many teams wouldn't mind a first-choice pace attack of Marco Jansen and Duan Jansen, Corbin Bosch and Gerald Coetzee, all of whom are in the squad. But the point is that four of the finest, who were in the original squad, are no longer.

The Miller factor

So cricket-minded South Africans will be forgiven for focusing on a happier angle. Like David Miller. He has scored seven ODI centuries but only the Australians have been at the receiving end of as many as three of them. On top of that, Kingsmead is the only ground where Miller's hundred lightning has struck twice.

Australia rotate, Marsh leads

The Australians are intent on player rotation during the ODIs to keep their squad fresh for the Test series that starts at the same ground on October 9 — nine days after the last white-ball game. So Pat Cummins, the appointed Test and ODI captain, will likely play only one of the three ODIs. That means Nathan Ellis, the leading bowler in either team in the ODI series in Zimbabwe last week — which didn't involve Cummins — with nine wickets for 112 at an economy rate of 4.45, becomes the lynchpin of Australia's attack.

Series context

South Africa have reeled off series victories in their last five bilateral rubbers against Australia. But the home side have finished on the right side of things in only half of their last 10 completed ODIs at Kingsmead. Both teams have won four of their last five completed ODIs — though six of those 10 successes were achieved against minnows Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The start of the 2027 World Cup, which will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, is still more than a year away. Even so, this series is an important piece of the puzzle both teams will want to complete before the tournament. For the Australians it's about banking knowledge about the likely conditions and the quirks of three of the World Cup match and warm-up venues. The South Africans, who have never won a World Cup, will want to measure themselves against opponents who know how to do so — Australia have claimed the trophy six times, at least three times more often than any other team.

Match preview

When: Thursday, September 24, 2026; 10am local / 8am GMT / 1.30pm IST
Where: Kingsmead, Durban
What to expect: A pleasant day — 25 degrees Celsius and some cloud cover, which could mean swing, and little chance of the rain that frequently bedevils cricket in Durban. Totals of at least 300 have been scored in the 47 ODIs played here. Kingsmead has seen 23 centuries and four five-wicket hauls, all by seamers.

Team news

South Africa: Gerald Coetzee could play his first ODI since the 2023 World Cup semi-final against Australia at Eden Gardens, where he bowled his heart out in vain. Aiden Markram will be in a dressing room for the first time in almost two months — he left The Hundred early for personal reasons — and might be given the day to reacclimatise.

Possible XI: Tony de Zorzi, Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma (capt), Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Lizaad Williams.

Australia: Pat Cummins is set to sit this one out as the visitors look to manage their resources going into the Test series. That means Mitchell Marsh will captain. Cameron Green could return to action after missing all three ODIs the Aussies played in Namibia this month with a shoulder problem.

Possible XI: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Olivier Peake, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc.

What they said

"We want teams, when they come here to South Africa, to know that they're going to have to deal with our fast bowlers. That's part of our DNA. You need those guys fit and ready to go. So we have to adapt. KG and Lungi are not guys you can replace at the drop of the hat."

— Temba Bavuma wonders where his next injured fast bowler might come from.

"Every time [Mitchell Marsh] has had to take on the captaincy in white-ball cricket he's been up to task. He's got great respect from the group, and [he's] a guy you want to play for and play with. So [it's not a problem] if Pat decides not to captain in the games he plays here — that's for those two to work out."

— Mitchell Starc tells cricket.com.au that Australia's flip-flopping captaincy won't be an issue.