‘I have the sense something special could happen with this team’: Bavuma

The next six weeks will determine the identity of this Proteas team, a group their captain says is still evolving, but one that Temba Bavuma feels has the potential to become No 1 in the Test format. 

It’s a good thing that they pay no heed to noise from outside their bubble, because for the most part, the view on the Proteas is that they’re rubbish. Most of that opinion is informed by the viewing public’s inability to differentiate between the one-day formats — where SA have struggled particularly in bilateral series — and the Test game — where they’ve won each of their last three matches.

Another part of it has to do with Cricket SA’s bad reputation and a third aspect is hankering after the days when the likes of Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers hogged the headlines. Bavuma spent a moment reflecting on that on the eve of the first Test with Sri Lanka. Ten years ago, he was the rookie taking his first steps into Test cricket alongside those legends. That team was No 1 in the world; his team isn’t.

“Young guys have come into this space and started putting in performances where it could be said they might become the same class as an AB de Villiers or a Hashim Amla,” said Bavuma.

“As a senior player, there is a lot of joy to see young guys come into the team, and you want to contribute to them becoming as good as they can be. The team is evolving and there is something special about the group.

“If I look at the West Indies [series at home] last year through to the India series, there’ve been different individuals coming in. Some guys have stayed, others haven't — and it was about putting together this team of personalities, guys who can do something special. This team has the potential to be No 1 in Test cricket.”

The Proteas' performances — starting on Wednesday at Kingsmead against a dangerous Sri Lanka and finishing against an enigmatic Pakistan in Cape Town in the first week of 2025 — will determine whether that is going to be the case. 

There is a more settled look to the Proteas starting XI, which Bavuma was comfortable to announce on Tuesday. There are three changes to the team that won against Bangladesh in Chittagong a month ago. They were not unexpected: Bavuma returns after injury to replace Ryan Rickelton, who hasn’t made a strong enough case for continued inclusion, while Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen take over from Dane Paterson and Senuran Muthusamy.

When Cricket SA sent that drastically weakened squad to New Zealand in February, it seemed scarcely believable that nine months later, the captain — who wasn’t in that tour party — would be able to state that there was such clarity about personnel. 

“There are no new faces in this series, which suggests we are settling as a team, and guys are very comfortable with each other,” he said.

Confidence-boosting series wins in the West Indies and Bangladesh have changed the outlook among the players. The young batting group got to taste the fruits of their labour in the subcontinent, and the team as a whole have drawn inspiration from the brilliance of Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj, who both achieved historic landmarks in those two series. 

The next few weeks will examine the progress they’ve made. Bavuma said he is wary of the Sri Lankans, who like SA have put themselves in contention for a spot in the World Test Championship final next year.

Each of SA’s last three Test series have been away from home, and it is the first time for many of the players that they will be in the spotlight, with expectations certainly higher than they were back in February.

“I have the sense something special could happen with this team, and we have four or five games to do that,” said Bavuma. 

Play starts at 9.30am on Wednesday — weather permitting. 

SA starting team: Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada.