By Boet Stander
Cricket South Africa, which got a lot of things wrong in recent times, put the right man in the right job when they named Temba Bavuma as Test captain for the forthcoming series against the West Indies – and beyond.
Bavuma, in turn, made a wise call and gave up the T20 captaincy after two dismal World Cups in which South Africa failed to reach the playoffs.
It’s not his game. He didn’t make runs, simple as that; and kept an in-form Reeza Hendricks on the sidelines in last year’s World Cup, which ended in shame with a defeat against lowly Netherlands.
Tests and T20 internationals are different games played with the same equipment.
The man he replaces, Dean Elgar, is a battler and a brawler, a tough guy who led a team devoid of batting stars – no one averaged more than 40 – to a surprise series win against India, the best team in the world by most measurable standards. South Africa also beat the West Indies and Bangladesh under his watch.
The glory faded in his last two series at the helm, when first England and then Australia gave the Proteas a whipping. He made some poor on-field calls, and the bravado he exuded in TV interviews didn’t translate into match-winning performances. During the 2022/23 series in Australia, the team looked tired and beaten before they stepped onto the field.
Elgar has scored 13 Test centuries in 82 matches, and is sure to score many more, but the captaincy dragged him down. He averages 26.8 as captain and 37.51 in his career overall.
Bavuma, by comparison, is still looking for century number two. It weighs heavily on him. He has the class, the style and the grit. It’s time to step it up and go.
Pictured above: Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s new Test captain
