South African captain Temba Bavuma has revealed he feels like a new version of himself since the three-match ODI series against England. The 32-year-old also expressed his excitement about playing in the SA20.
The right-handed batsman didn’t initially find a taker in the SA20 but struck a deal after regaining form in the 50-over series against England. He had scores of 36, 109 and 35 as the Proteas easily beat England to keep their hopes of direct qualification for the 2023 World Cup alive.
The veteran batsman said he can’t wait to join SunRisers Eastern Cape (SEC) after a productive series against England. He said, as quoted by iol.com.za:
“I’m so excited to be joining the Sunrisers Eastern Cape team for the rest of the SA20 campaign. I’m looking forward to the opportunity and I’m looking forward to being part of an amazing group of guys and I’m sure I’ll make some great memories.
“I’m pretty happy with my performances against England. I feel like a different Temba has come out and stood up in the last three games. I was just trying to express myself for the team. I’ll take confidence from these last three games and hopefully that will translate into the others games and formats.”
Bavuma came into the series under a lot of pressure, both as captain and batsman, especially after South Africa’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. He also managed just 70 runs in five games at 17.50.
“The quality of the pitchers on both sides is high” – Temba Bavuma
Reflecting on the high hitting series, the captain stated that both the batting units have raised their games exponentially. However, he admitted that the rules are difficult for bowlers in white-ball cricket. Bavuma explained:
“The quality of bowlers from both sides is high. The skill levels are definitely among the best. Maybe that just speaks to the quality of batting that has been on display in this series, maybe that should be appreciated a little more than just trying bowlers.
“White-ball cricket is tough on the bowlers. You don’t have a lot of guys on the boundary, you’re competing with two new balls.”
SEC will take on the Durban Super Giants in Durban on Friday (February 3).