Lungi Ngidi believes the Proteas "should be alright" in the absence of regular skipper Temba Bavuma when their three-match ODI series against England commences on Tuesday.The diminutive right-hander fractured his elbow during the recent T20 series against India, an assignment from which the South Africans emerged with a 2-2 stalemate, and is now in a race against time to be ready for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.Bavuma is a divisive figure in the shortest form of the game, where detractors point to his apparent lack of a power game, but has proved his mettle in the 50-over stuff, averaging over 45 at a good strike rate of 82.READ | 'Zulu' hopes Proteas' ODI forfeit doesn't bite back: 'Trust me, World Cup qualifying is a lottery'"It's very unfortunate that he got injured," said Ngidi, who'll be a crucial presence in a Proteas attack missing the rested Kagiso Rabada for the English skirmish."As a top-order batter, Temba leaves a big void.
He had some good momentum going [during the home summer], so he's a big miss. Obviously, it's an opportunity for someone else to get a run in the series.
We have full confidence in those guys, so I think we should be alright. "But it would've been nice to have Temba's leadership and stature in the team."One of the beneficiaries in this regard - despite being an incumbent member of the 50-over squad - is former Durham man Aiden Markram, whose knowledge of conditions at the Riverside in Chester-le-Street, where the opening ODI takes place, could prove useful."Yeah, any information we can get about conditions will be important," said Ngidi."I believe we actually played a World Cup game here as well, so a few guys are familiar with how the wicket plays.