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Bavuma to use club game as fitness test

Cape Town - Temba Bavuma will play a club game for Soweto Cricket Club this weekend in what will effectively serve as his fitness test ahead of the Australia series. 

The Proteas have a number of injury concerns going into the first Test in Durban on March 1, but some good news coming out of the camp on Tuesday was that Bavuma could be available. 

The 27-year-old lost his place in the Test XI when the series against India got underway in January, though he was largely tipped to be picked for the third Test in Johannesburg before he injured his finger in a Cobras match. 

If South Africa do opt to go for an extra batsman against the Aussies, as many expect them to, then Bavuma will feature if he is fit. 

AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock have recovered from their respective injuries, and De Kock has joined up with the T20 squad in Centurion. 

He is back training with the squad, but he will not feature in the T20 series against India.

Skipper Faf du Plessis, meanwhile, will start batting in the nets on Wednesday. He is also recovering from a finger injury, but if all goes well in the next week then he will likely be ready for Kingsmead too.

The only one who looks certain to miss out in Durban is Dale Steyn, who continues to recover from the heel injury he picked up in the first Test against India at Newlands.

"Dale Steyn is making great recovery. In all likelihood, he will probably feature in the Test series against Australia but I'm sure the medical team will want him to play some form of cricket before a Test match," team doctor Mohammed Moosajee said on Tuesday.

The aim is for Steyn to feature in a Sunfoil Series match for the Titans before he gets back onto the Test stage, and Moosajee added that he would have more clarity on Steyn's expected return date next week.

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