Proteas coach Mark Boucher is hopeful that captain Temba Bavuma will rediscover his form and confidence before the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Johannesburg — Temba Bavuma will be given every opportunity to find some form and confidence before the T20 World Cup, with out-going Proteas head coach Mark Boucher, hoping the quicker and bouncier conditions Down Under might be more favourable to his style of batting.
“He’s the captain, we treat him like that as well,” Boucher said in Delhi on Tuesday after the Proteas had lost a one-day series 2-1 to India.
Bavuma has faced increasing pressure as his own poor form coupled with Reeza Hendricks’ excellent output with the bat has led to questions about whether he should retain his starting spot in the national T20 side despite being captain.
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Bavuma missed the last two ODIs of the series against India with illness, something Boucher said was not ideal given the pressure the Proteas limited overs captain has been under recently.
“Temba would be wanting to try and get some form before a World Cup. It is unfortunate that he got sick before these last two One-Day games, because I think it would have been the perfect opportunity for him to get in and find some form.”
Since being made captain last year, Bavuma averages just 18.58 in 20 matches, while his strike rate of 106.04 is woefully inadequate for the demands of the T20 format.
To make matters worse for him, when given the chance in Bavuma’s absence in England, Hendricks found a rich vein of form that has seen him finally fulfil the potential so many viewers of domestic cricket knew he had. The 33-year-old right-hander has averaged 46.14 in seven T20 International innings this year, while his strike-rate is a healthy 139.82.
South Africa will leave India on Thursday and head to Australia where they will play two warm-up matches before opening their World Cup campaign in Hobart on October 24. Their opponents will be determined by a qualifying competition that starts this weekend.
“The conditions will suit (Bavuma’s) style of batting a bit more in Australia,” said Boucher. “We’ll try and get him back up and running again, get him into the nets to get him used to conditions and hopefully give him a knock or two before the start of the World Cup to see where he is at.”
