Cricket
Focused Bavuma Looks to Regain Form and Lead Proteas’ Young Squad in UAE ODI Series
Temba Bavuma aims to regain form and lead a young Proteas squad in the upcoming UAE ODI series against Afghanistan and Ireland, focusing on team momentum and integrating new talent.
Image Credits: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Temba Bavuma is focused on getting ODI form back, guiding a young Proteas team against Afghanistan and Ireland in the UAE this month.
Temba Focused on Getting Form Back and Guiding ODI Team
The last time South Africa played a One Day International match was almost a year ago in the semi-final of the India-based 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup.
It was one of those heartbreaking nights for South African cricket where the Proteas failed yet again to get over and past the semi-final hurdle of the World Cup.
It all stemmed from Edgbaston during the 1999 World Cup where Lance Klusener and Allan Donald were involved in a catastrophic run-out, one that handed Australia a place in the final and finished at Eden Gardens in Kolkata where South Africa fell tantalisingly, only three runs shy from qualify for the World Cup final in 2023.
Prior to that showpiece event, Proteas ODI captain Temba Bavuma had displayed great form with centuries against England, Australia and the West Indies, but the skipper failed to take that form into the World Cup as he did not reach the three-figure mark throughout the tournament.
With South Africa now building towards the 2027 World Cup with series against Afghanistan and Ireland this month, the captain is focused on himself as a batter and also on guiding the team in the right direction as captain of the side.
"It's been a while since I've played. For me, (I want to) reassimilate myself back into white ball cricket and One Day cricket, get my form, timing and everything going again," Bavuma told SportsBoom.com.
That's really where I'd like to focus on, to get the team heading in the right direction again, get the right momentum flowing as a team.
Temba Bavuma
The Excitement of New Faces within the Squad
South Africa takes on Afghanistan in three ODIs in Sharjah before they switch focus to Ireland where they will also play three ODIs at the Dubai International Stadium.
For both series, the Proteas have several new faces as the coach and captain continue their goal of widening the talent pool.
With Quinton de Kock having retired in the format and household names such as Heinrich Klaasen and Kagiso Rabada rested, young players such as Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi have been given opportunities.
However, Bavuma does have experience heads in Aiden Markram and Lungi Ngidi to name a few and the captain says it is those experienced players that will have the added responsibility to make sure that the standards of the team do not drop in the absence of some big Proteas players.
"Looking at the composition of the side, it's quite exciting. It's always nice to have new faces within the team. I'm rallying to see how the guys can fit in within the team, the culture, and ultimately contribute from a skill point of view," said Bavuma.
"Within the batting there's a guy like Tony (de Zorzi) who's continuing with his momentum and form that he showed. Stubbs as well who has shone brightly for us in all the different formats. I think it's only the ODI stuff where Stubbs hasn't done so and it's a matter of opportunity. I'm really excited from that point of view.”
"With the newer faces, it does put a little bit more responsibility on the more senior guys within the side for them to make sure that our standard doesn't drop as a team from a performance point of view." he added.
The first ODI between South Africa and Afghanistan gets underway on Wednesday, 18 September.
Ongama Gcwabe is an experienced Sports Journalist based in South Africa. In his career, Ongama’s work has been published in the country’s biggest newspapers company, Independe Newspapers, and some of the leading news and sports websites including IOL Sport.