“Temba Bavuma is a wonderful all-round cricketer”

Lance Klusener believes Temba Bavuma has the attributes to be an important component of the Proteas’ batting engine in T20 cricket despite the chatter suggesting otherwise.

There were many questions floating around amongst the India media about Bavuma’s ability to play the shorter formats.

In Bavuma’s interview on Friday, he made his desire clear that he aims to dominate in white-ball cricket.

READ: TEMBA BAVUMA AIMS TO PROVE DOUBTERS WRONG

In the pre-match press conference on Saturday, ahead of the first T20I against India, the Proteas interim T20I batting coach laid to rest the labels suggesting that Bavuma is a one-format man.

“You say that [he’s a red-ball specialist] but he was Man of the Match in the Mzansi Super League final,” said Klusener emphatically.

“It’s easy to pigeon hole him as a Test cricketer. But he’s a wonderful all-round cricketer. Yes, he still has to learn a few options that we sticking our teeth into.

“He’s not the biggest guy that can muscle the ball over the fence, but there are other ways to do it.

“I’m uncomfortable saying he’s just a red-ball cricketer. He’s a good cricketer that needs an opportunity and he will certainly get it on this tour.

“I think he’s ready to make that transition into being someone in the engine room that can be good at rotating the strike and haven’t good plans so that other hitters like Dave [Miller], Dwaine [Pretorius] and Andile [Phehlukwayo], some of the biggest hitters on the planet can bat around someone like that.”

Having played in India before, Klusener also highlighted some of the struggles that the Proteas will face in India.

“The biggest challenge playing India is handling the conditions. That’s not only the wicket, that’s also the weather, the amazingly full stadiums, wonderfully full press conferences – there’s a lot of things you have to deal with.

“It’s a wonderful challenge, not everybody has had the privilege…whether they’ve been here with SA A… to playing in a fully noisy stadium, which we will wake up in the morning to try and do.

“There’s a lot of things off the ball we have to try and do, and once you get your head and mind around that it makes playing a little easier.”

The Proteas play their first T20I against India in Dharamshala at 15:30 SAST.