Chronicle Editor
Abu Dhabi: Temba Bavuma has carried the nation’s weight of expectation on his shoulders ever since he first picked up a cricket bat in the streets of Langa.
All that responsibility has only multiplied now that he is the Proteas captain here at the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
It should not then be surprising that Bavuma is just a little bit anxious ahead of South Africa’s — and his first game in a major ICC tournament — opener against Australia here in the scorching mid-day heat of Abu Dhabi today.
“I must be honest, there is a bit of anxiety amongst the guys, there is a bit of butterflies,’’ Bavuma admitted.
“We understand that our fans, our media are quite unforgiving. I think there’s a high demand for excellence at all times. We know that coming into the World Cup.”
Today’s match is not do-or-die just yet but winning it will go a long way to seeing Bavuma’s team progressing to the knockout stages. And it’s also against the Aussies and that adds an altogether different edge to the contest.
“It’s obviously a big game! We want to start off well. We want to hit the ground running. You want to throw that first punch early on and try to ride with that momentum as much as you can.
“I think the way the tournament is also set up with only five games in the group stages, you don’t really have time to be behind the eight ball,” Bavuma said. — iol
Online Reporter