Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock won the hearts of many during the T20I series between the Proteas and England, and should be the Proteas’ opening duo during the T20I World Cup, writes Khalid Mohidin.
It was refreshing to see a Proteas opening pair dominate once again. The pair of Bavuma and De Kock scored 48, 92 and 84 in their three opening stands. A total of 224 runs in three games.
Compared to England’s pair who scored 19, 17 and 15.
They say dynamite comes in small packages, and boy does Bavuma keep proving that statement. Opening the batting with De Kock, he showed his intentions by playing a variety of roles – the anchor, aggressor and the stabilizer.
What was particularly pleasing was the way he complimented De Kock. His natural ability to switch according to the circumstances was what stood out to me, particularly when De Kock looked a little wobbly after facing a couple of dot balls.
De Kock, when feeling a little jittery, felt confident to take a single, give the strike to Bavuma who would hit a well-timed boundary to lift the pressure off De Kock on the other end. This also proved their understanding and trust in each other.
Having a stable partner who can absorb the pressure is key, and Bavuma’s natural style of play is exactly what De Kock needs, to allow him to play his natural game.
In five T20I games between them as a partnership, they managed to pass 50 four times and have scored a total of 345 at an average of 86.
With his previous partner, Hashim Amla, he played 19 games and averaged 30.
In 8 matches with Reeza Hendricks, he managed 262 runs at an averaged 32.75, they only managed to pass 50 on two occasions.
This seems like an easy decision for the Proteas’ brains trust putting into perspective how well Bavuma and De Kock have teamed up during the series against England. All signs and support from the fans show that it is an easy choice to make.
But let’s see how the pair fair in the T20I series against Australia and make our final decision.
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