South Africa ended their 27-year wait for a trophy under Bavuma
When Temba Bavuma was appointed South Africa’s Test captain in 2023, not many were pleased with the decision taken by Cricket South Africa. It was only after the course of the next two years did the detractors and fans of the team were able to understand his leadership prowess.
Under Bavuma’s captaincy, South Africa reached the 2023 ODI World Cup semifinals and followed it up with a semis appearance in the Champions Trophy 2025. By the time they booked a semifinal spot in the Champions Trophy, they had already qualified for the World Test Championship 2023-25 final at the Lord’s.
Under Bavuma, South Africa won nine matches, of which seven were on the trot and just one game ended in a draw. In the final against Australia earlier this month, Bavuma led from the front with the bat, each innings better than the last.
Under overcast conditions during the first innings against the accomplished trio of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, Bavuma scored a resolute 36 off 84 balls and added 64 runs for the fifth wicket with David Bedingham to help the Proteas post 138 all out.
As conditions got better for batting over the next two days, Bavuma fully capitalised on the pitch and added 147 for the third wicket with centurion Aiden Markram (136). His 66 was perfect for the occasion as the Proteas went on to win the match by five wickets and end their trophy wait of 27 years. This also dispelled doubts about Bavuma’s captaincy as well as South Africa’s long-standing ‘chokers’ tag.
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South Africa’s director of cricket Enoch Nkwe felt that CSA were convinced that Bavuma was the perfect fit after looking at his equation with head coach Shukri Conrad.
“The one thing about Temba is, he has always been a team man. He goes about his business very quietly and always puts the team first. And having worked with him before when I was a coach and also how he has blended well with Shukri I just knew it’s gonna work. It’s one of those you know… The strong chemistry and the dynamics were good between the two,” Nkwe said in an interview with Indian Express.
Nkwe felt that the years of perseverance paid in amazing fashion for the 35-year-old who also became the most successful captain in history of Test cricket in his first 10 Tests. During these 10 Tests, Bavuma also scored 911 runs at a stunning average of 56. After waiting close to three years for his second Test hundred, Bavuma scored three centuries in this period.
“He would rather take the punches for the team than letting the team take the punches. He got a lot of criticism and but for me, he stood firm and that’s a sign of a great leader. It was just a matter of time he got rewarded in terms of the work that he’s put behind all those years and show them the way through the struggles and all the challenges,” Nkwe said.
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