South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen has fully recovered from the elbow injury that sidelined him for their Champions Trophy opener against Afghanistan, skipper Temba Bavuma confirmed.
The Proteas were uncertain about Klaasen’s availability for their second match against Australia in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, but heavy rain forced the game to be abandoned without a single ball bowled.
“Everyone is fit. Klaasen is back, which is a big boost for us, and the team spirit is high,” Bavuma told reporters.
Klaasen is now in contention for South Africa’s final Group B clash against England in Karachi on Saturday.
Bavuma added that the team will take a short break before shifting focus to England, who play Afghanistan later on Wednesday. The loser of that match will be eliminated from semi-final contention.
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South Africa currently leads their group on net run rate, tied with Australia on three points. A win against England would secure their spot in the last four.
“We’ll be keeping an eye on England’s game against Afghanistan to get a better sense of the standings and what’s required of us,” Bavuma said. “England, on paper, are one of the stronger teams, so we know we’ll need to bring our A-game.”
