Proteas to be without stand-in captain Maharaj for second Test against Zimbabwe

JOHANNESBURG - The Proteas will be without stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj for the second Test against Zimbabwe, starting this weekend, after he was ruled out of the match with an injury. 

The left-arm spinner sustained a left groin strain while batting in the Proteas’ 2nd innings, where he made 51 as South Africa went on to win the first Test by 328 runs.

Senuran Muthusamy will take his place in the team, while Maharaj will return home for further assessment to determine the extent of the injury.

All-rounder Wiaan Mulder will lead the side in Maharaj’s absence as the squad doesn’t feature regular skipper Temba Bavuma, who is out injured, as well as Aiden Markram, who was rested for this series. 

Proteas coach Shukri Conrad had the option of handing the captaincy to players like Tony de Zorzi or Kyle Verreynne who have led their sides in domestic cricket with some success, but says he chose Mulder because of his good form and the confidence he has in his game after taking 4 wickets in the first innings of the first Test as well as hitting a century in the 2nd innings.

"He is obviously on top of his game at the minute. He's captained in his youth days. He shows some really good leadership qualities. I think this is part of his journey where he is starting to take more responsibility in the side. We have seen him do a lot of that in this short series thus far, and I think it will be a great opportunity for Wiaan to grow into becoming a leader in this group," Conrad said

Conrad also expects the captaincy will bring out the best in Mulder.

"I think it will be a great opportunity for Wiaan to grow into becoming a leader in this group. He's got all the attributes, and I think the more responsibilities I give him, the better Wiaan reacts. I think we'll see improved performances. I think he thrives on that responsibility."

The 2nd Test will be at the same venue in Bulawayo and starts on Sunday, 6 July.