INSIDE EDGE: The Temba Bavuma column, (vol 6)

Proteas white-ball captain Temba Bavuma made his ODI debut in 2016 against Ireland before he wore his nation’s colours for the first time in 2019 in the T20I format. In the game’s longest format, he has 51 test caps to his name and would have featured for the Proteas on their now-concluded multi-format tour to the UK had an elbow injury not hit.

In his final column, the fit-again Bavuma reflects on South Africa’s 2-1 test series defeat to England, the imminent departure of Mark Boucher and reasons for our batting issues.

Wednesday, 14 September - testing times and Bouch says goodbye

Mark Boucher’s decision to resign came as a bit of a surprise to me but it’s one we have to respect. The coach called and informed me of his decision on Monday morning before the press release was issued just after 6pm that night. I think the coach has played a big role in the cultural change and the environment within the team. It has been about breeding excellence and really getting that fighting spirit out of the guys. It’s something the team leaders will look to build on when Mark steps away post-T20 World Cup. The next couple of months become important to send the coach out with a bang.

T20 HAS INFLUENCED TEST CRICKET

In terms of the test series, it was a rather disappointing way to end off in the third. With a day lost to the rain and another owing to the death of the Queen, you would have thought that a result would have been difficult in three days but it wasn’t. All three tests finished within three days or less and that is the effect of T20 cricket. The game has sped up, batsmen are trying to score quicker than ever before and, as a result, there is more time for teams to get their 20 wickets. It’s been forever since I’ve played a test match which went to day five, and it could be one of the knock-on effects of T20 cricket.

For our young bunch of guys, there is a lot of experience they can draw on from the test series in England. Batting seemed tough for us and the guys are going to have to learn and grow from that experience. As a team, we had a massive opportunity to win a series in England and especially having forged belief in our ability to do so after Lord’s.

TEST SERIES DIDN’T GO TO PLAN

Test matches two and three didn’t go according to plan. Last time, I wrote about the intensity we needed to exert on England and instead the home side did exactly that to us. We’ve got to give England credit for the way they bounced back. They stuck to their guns amid all the pressure and media criticism in terms of how they played their cricket.

I think there will be a lot of conversations happening before our next test series against Australia. Dean Elgar will be meeting up with our director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe, to see what is the best way forward. There is lots to talk about and to be implemented.

In terms of our batting concerns, firstly, batting in England is a tough task. It’s very different to what we are used to back home and you need time to adjust. We had time but, looking at the series result, we didn’t use it effectively to really make the necessary adjustments. I honestly wouldn’t blame T20 cricket for our batting issues. We have guys like Deano, SJ Erwee and Keegan Petersen, who don’t play a great deal of T20 cricket.

AMPLE GAME TIME IMPERATIVE

I think the biggest thing is not having ample game time to really get us into that gear of batting for long hours. In terms of whether we should have played a county game between the second and third tests: from experience, all our preparation is done before the series. And when you come into the series, it’s about managing your energies and ensuring you are in the right mind to play competitively. That’s Dean’s mantra and I understand and back it.

I was not surprised at him turning down an extra practice game and I don’t think he would have done things any differently even if we were 2-0 up in the series. With the test series to Australia in December, it could be beneficial to get us to play more four-day cricket prior and allow us the opportunity to bat because T20 isn’t really built for it. In the game’s shortest format, you go in there and face 25 to 30 balls when you’re opening the batting and you’ve got to try to hit the ball as far as you can!

Whereas test cricket, as we know, requires a bit more skill than that. It tests all the different types of skills that you need to possess as a batter from a technical and mental point of view. It’s about the ability to apply your mind and skills over a long period of time. You need to have played in a competitive, pressurised environment for you to really have the confidence to do it in foreign conditions and against top-quality bowlers.

T20 SQUAD COVERS ALL BASES

Our next assignment is the white-ball tour to India, which begins on 28 September, before the T20 World Cup in Australia from October. We go to the tournament with the hope of making it to the final and winning it. The squad that has been selected covers all our bases and I believe it’s a really strong one.

We need players to be in form come World Cup time and we need to use the tour to India to fine-tune whatever areas we need to. It’s going to be a tough series in itself, so we’ll be looking to be competitive and stand up to whatever challenges the Indians throw our way in their own conditions. The trick is to build confidence and momentum and carry it with us into the T20 World Cup.