Following a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Netherlands in the Super 12 stage, South Africa were eliminated from the ongoing 20-20 World Cup 2022, with Pakistan taking their place in the top two of the league table. Proteas captain Temba Bavuma was heavily criticised not just for his poor batting performance throughout the tournament but also because of his management skills and certain wrong decisions on the field.
However, the 32-year-old isn’t ready to admit his captaincy faults but is disappointed with his batting performance throughout the tournament. The opener also understands that he will have to take the responsibility for South Africa’s failure and also expressed how challenging it has been so far in the tournament.
“When the team doesn’t reach expectations, questions are going to be asked and people are going to come at leaders. I am the captain of the team, so it is expected that people will ask questions about me. They’ll take a deep look at me and what I have contributed to the team’s performance. It has obviously been a challenging time for me, but I felt as a team we have done a good job in terms of supporting each other and giving each other the necessary confidence,” the captain said while talking to the press.
“Could I say I am happy with my personal performances? The answer is no, because I am not happy with that. Am I happy with the way led the team? Yes, I am happy with that. But when the team performs like that people are going to come at the leaders,” he added.
Important that the leaders do have answers: Bavuma
The captain of the South African team also spoke about the importance of giving proper explanations after their defeat. He spoke about the team’s strategy and also explained why a few cricketers didn’t get enough opportunities.
“It is important that the leaders do have answers to whatever questions are thrown at them. In terms of strategy, those conversations happen pretty much every game. I think as you would have seen, we select the team based on conditions. In terms of form, it is the World Cup and you are always going to show confidence to guys who you feel are your best 11, and that’s exactly what we did,” Bavuma said.
“There might have been players who weren’t on form but you still have to show faith and confidence in those guys that they can still put in match-winning performances. The last thing you want at a World Cup is giving someone [a place] who doesn’t have the type of experience or someone who hasn’t come across the emotions of the World Cup and expect him to do the business for the team,” he added.
