Bullish Temba Bavuma happy to step aside as Proteas skipper

Both Walter and director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe have explained there will be a different captain for the 2027 World Cup that South Africa will host. But Bavuma’s future in the role is likely to receive scrutiny well before then, with a possible change ahead of this year’s World Cup and even the qualifying tournament, which South Africa could play in Zimbabwe in June. 

Bavuma has held talks with what he described as the “relevant people”.

“I’ve never made it about me, it’s always been about the team. Whenever the team hasn’t performed well, I’ve always tried to shield the guys, and when the team has done well, I don’t think you’ve ever heard me say it's about me and I and all that.

“If the team wants to go a different direction with a different leader then I am happy to step away. We have a new coach now, and ultimately it's up to him.”

“The coach will have his vision and will need somebody to drive that vision. At the moment the coach has entrusted me with that role [as captain] with the 50-over stuff.

“I will continue doing my best. I’m fortunate I have got a bunch of guys who support me through hell and back. For me it’s business as usual, for now.”

Bavuma and Walter have chatted informally since the latter’s appointment two weeks ago, and Bavuma said he’s excited by the style Walter wants to implement. Some of that style will become clear in the next few matches the Proteas will play including the series with the current 50 and 20-over World Cup holders. 

“There is no better opportunity for us to test our skills and test our new way of wanting to do things.”

Large parts of that new way, Bavuma explained, was borrowed from the team they’ll be facing in the next week.

“England have been the pioneers in the game, even in red ball cricket. It really seems as if cricket is going in that direction.

“We’ve seen in Test cricket that you don’t get five day Tests any more. Guys are taking on the game a lot more and England have done that very well in the last couple of years.”

“As South Africans we have our way of thinking, we have our way of doing things, there is nothing wrong with us taking a bit from England putting it together and seeing what comes about.

The biggest thing is that with the personnel we have, guys go out and express themselves. If that equates to a South African ‘Bazball’ [what England's new style is called] way of playing — to use a stupid term —  then so be it. If that means we are going to go out there block the shit of the ball then so be it.” 

Bavuma’s body language and tone was a far cry from the anguished figure that addressed local media after the team’s shocking exit from the T20 World Cup last November. 

On Thursday he smiled, sat upright, joked and threw in some colourful language among his replies. 

There was, he explained, also an acceptance from the players about possibly having to go through a qualifying tournament to secure their World Cup spot. 

“That’s something everyone is prepared to do looking at the decision [to cancel the ODI series with Australia] that was made a couple of months ago to make way for the SA20. Those are the cards that are in front of us and we’ll deal with it as best we can.”

As for the tournament from which he was embarrassingly rejected, failing to be picked up in the SA20 player auction, which left him practising by himself in Bloemfontein earlier this week while teammates travelled from their different franchises, Bavuma said he’d only kept a cursory eye on it.

“In the last two weeks I’ve been taking it really easy, connecting with family, it’s been really relaxing. I’ve watched one or two games of the SA20 — it looks like fun.”