‘Feels like we’re starting again and again as a team’ – Temba Bavuma’s take on South Africa’s red-ball calendar

Temba Bavuma. (Photo Source: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

South Africa have played just four red-ball matches in the third cycle of World Test Championship. To compare, Australia and England played 12 each, India played nine, New Zealand and West Indies played six, and Pakistan played five. Out of the four the Proteas have played, two were with a second-string side against New Zealand as all their first-choice players were involved in SA20.

The Temba Bavuma-led side is currently seventh on the WTC points table and qualifying for the finals seems like an uphill task. The skipper, meanwhile, opened up on the schedule and pointed out that the players always feel like they are starting again and again as there is no continuity like the Big Three – Australia, England and India – enjoy in terms of scheduling.

Also Read – World Test Championship (WTC) Points Table 2023-2025

Bavuma added that the team management is discussing the Test blueprint, which is not something a team would be expected to discuss in the middle of a calendar year. Bavuma hopes that things will improve going forward. He added that despite all the challenges, there’s excitement among the players before playing West Indies in a two-match series starting August 7.

“It’s a challenge that’s not necessarily unique to us and probably something that all the teams outside the big three face. It feels like we’re starting again and again as a team. You can hear in terms of the conversations, there’s a lot of reminding ourselves of a philosophy, how we want to play and basically what our blueprint is to winning,” Bavuma was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“It’s nothing that is unique to us as a South African team. The challenge is we’ve just got to make it work with what we have. We don’t use it as an excuse. I think there’s definitely a lot of excitement from the guys and we’d like to focus on that excitement more than all the other uncontrollables,” he added.