South Africa faced a defeat to India in last month’s men’s T20 World Cup final. They also lost to Australia in the semifinals of the ODI World Cup in India last year. However, veteran player Temba Bavuma, who is currently not part of South Africa’s T20I plans because his low strike rate, said that the team made everyone proud.
“I take a lot of confidence from [South Africa reaching the final],” he told a press conference in Johannesburg on Thursday. “The white-ball team are growing in leaps and bounds. They did us proud at the [T20] World Cup. It was unfortunate that we weren’t able to get over the line, but the guys are in good spirits and are raring to go. A lot more credit needs to be given to that group. For them to get to a final, and the manner in which they did that, speaks volumes. Players who are close to those guys will feed off all that confidence and all the intel, and apply it within the Test team.”
“The belief is there for that group of guys,” he said. “The external pressures that come about, they stay in the external. I can safely say that about that team. The focus becomes about the team. And it’s not just in the T20 side. It’s in the 50-over and the Test sides, too. There’s a sense that it’s going to happen, that it’s a matter of time. I’m sure for those guys there’s a feeling that it wasn’t enough. And that will make us push even harder when we get the opportunity again.”
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However, South Africa haven’t played a Test since the tour to New Zealand in February as well. And, they will play just six more before the end of the 2023/24 season as well. Bavuma himself was last in action in a competitive match in April as well.
“It’s a challenge that’s not unique to us,” Bavuma said. “It’s something that probably all the smaller teams outside the big three face. It feels like we’re starting again and again as a team. We had a camp last week, but not all of the guys were there [because several are playing in franchise T20 tournaments]. But, in our conversations, there’s a lot of reminding ourselves of our philosophy – how we want to play and what our blueprint for winning is.”
He said, “When we meet up again, when everyone will be there, those first couple of days will be important in aligning ourselves again, to speak to what our values are for our culture and creating an environment that allows guys to perform. The challenge is to make it work with what we have. We don’t use it as an excuse. There’s definitely a lot of excitement about putting on our whites and chasing the red ball again. We’d like to focus on that more than all the uncontrollables.”
He also opened up on the fact that T20 cricket rules the game and also influences the way Tests are played nowadays regarding batting.
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“If you speak to a lot of batters who play all the formats, the biggest challenge they face in terms of adjusting is from T20 to Test cricket,” Bavuma said. “There’s always the temptation to stay current with the trends, and T20 is the big thing. Batters are trying to score quicker. Guys are trying to be a lot more exciting or entertaining, and to hit the ball far. In Test cricket can you be successful doing that in all conditions? You’ve got to be comfortable with leaving the ball, leaving six balls in a row, in Test cricket. In T20s you’re not going to do that.”
“It comes down to making sure you’re preparing according to how you would like to play in the conditions. But, taking from T20 cricket, if the opportunity is there to put a bowler under pressure you should feel free and secure enough to be able to do that. If a bowler is there for the taking, don’t think twice. Know that you’ve got the guys behind you. Back yourself, whatever that decision is,” Temba Bavuma concluded.
