“Our ability to play in pressure moments, that’s something we’ve done exceptionally well,” said South Africa captain, Temba Bavuma, upon his arrival to South Africa after the team narrowly missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the UAE. 

Bavuma heaped praise on his bowlers for their consistent performances over a long period of time.

“The bowling has been exceptional. Our bowling unit is a world-class one.”

However, he pointed out that there were concerns in the batting department.

“Our batting as a whole isn’t world-class. From a consistency point of view, we can do a lot more in that regard.”

After exceeding expectations this tournament, Bavuma wants to make sure South Africa “go from strength to strength.” 

There has been a conversation surrounding South Africa’s net run rate against Bangladesh after the team chased down a paltry 85 runs in 13 runs.

Bavuma conceded, “Never really considered that (NRR) heavily.” He continued, “We always knew in our group that we would have to play our best type of cricket.” 

Bavuma’s on-field and off-field leadership have received praise from the entire cricketing fraternity.

“Matters that happened off the field that put us under pressure. We were able to get through those moments.”

He continued, “I’m a lot more confident with the team as well. The backing, confidence has definitely grown. We’re in a better space as a team going forward.” 

Bavuma is now looking forward to the India series, particularly from the perspective of the Test team.

“We know that the India series is a big one for us, especially as a Test team. We will be expecting that a number of players will stand up to the pressure that India will bring,” said Bavuma.