Batsman David Bedingham has been named in South Africa’s squad for next month’s World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s.
Bedingham has been sidelined by a toe injury while playing for Durham in the County Championship in England last month.
“In my first game, I got hit by the ball on my toe, and it broke my toe. So, it’s been frustrating because I think the thing with the toe is you can’t do much rehabilitation – there;s nothing you can do,” Bedingham told Independent Media.
“You just have to wait for the bone to heal. So, firstly, in the second or third week, there hasn’t been much pain. But the only unfortunate thing is I can’t play. So, it’s been quite frustrating.
“I’ve been limited to doing what I can. So, it’s been a lot of gym work, quite a bit of walking the dog and the type of stuff like that, but not too intense. And then maybe this last week, I’ve ramped it up with a bit of running, a bit of batting, a bit of gym work. So, it’s been quite good.”
Bedingham is averaging 34 in 12 Tests since December 2023’s debut against India in Centurion. He has also played Test cricket in New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh – and against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in South Africa. The WTC final will be his first Test in England.
“Hopefully going into the WTC final, I’ll be fresh and very keen to play again,” he added.
“I think it’s very exciting for all players. I think it’s, first of all, the final. Second of all, playing against Australia, who are first on the International Cricket Council Test rankings. And thirdly, as batters, I think that they’re obviously quality bowlers.
“And if we can do well against them, I feel that we can take confidence from that to think and play that if we can play well against them, we can almost play well against anyone.”
Bedingham is one of four Western Province players in South Africa’s 15-man squad for the World Test Championship final. The others are wicketkeeper-batsman Kyle Verreynne, seamer Dane Paterson and batsman Tony de Zorzi.
“We are extremely proud of our Western Province players. Their selection is a testament to their hard work, consistency, and contribution to South African cricket. We wish them all the best for the final at Lord’s – the entire WP cricket family will be cheering,” said Western Province Cricket Association chief executive officer Corrie van Zyl.
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