Snubbed Temba Bavuma to focus on World Cup

Proteas white-ball captain Temba Bavuma said his main focus was getting in the right frame of mind for the next few months of competitive cricket despite being disappointed at going unsold in the SA20 player auction.

The Proteas start a busy few months as they leave for India on Friday for a six-match white-ball series (three T20s and three ODIs) before heading to Australia for final preparations and two warm-up matches ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup starting in October. 

The diminutive right-hand batsman, who captains both the T20 and ODI national sides, was left out in the cold after none of the six franchises for the new domestic SA20 tournament placed a bid for him. The snub had tongues wagging throughout the cricket fraternity, with arguments being made for and against his inclusion in the lucrative tournament, which starts in January 2023.

However, the skipper, who returns to the national fold after missing close to three months because of an elbow injury,  was looking forward to getting back on the park.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any feelings of disappointment. One would have expected to play a role within the tournament, but as I said, it is not just myself, it is Andile [Phehlukwayo] as well, a guy who has been playing the white-ball format for several years for SA. 

“Feelings of almost being let down in a way and I don’t think that comes from any point of entitlement from my side. 

“I have to caution myself from delving too deep into it. As much as I would like to speak more about the issue, now is probably not the right time,” the 32-year-old said. 

Bavuma said one way he has tried to shield himself from outside noise was not to place too much focus on what is being said and to continue focusing on his game. 

He spent the past few days with the touring squad in Cape Town, where they engaged in a few team-building activities, including a visit to Robben Island, before they travel to the subcontinent. 

Now his primary focus is the series in India before they tackle the global tournament in Australia.

“The biggest thing for me is to serve the team as best I can. I still have the responsibility of being the captain, the leader of the team, so I will endeavour to do that as best as I can, and as I believe I have been doing over the past couple of months. 

“All of the other things I will deal with on a personal level, I am not going to sit here and say this is what I want to prove.”