Bavuma reveals challenges facing Proteas on West Indies tour

While the Proteas Test team will take confidence from their T20 counterparts’ good showing in the Caribbean recently, at the T20 World Cup, ahead of their Test series against the West Indies next month, captain Temba Bavuma says one should not compare the different formats and that a big challenge awaits his men.

Just a few weeks ago, the Proteas T20 team performed brilliantly in the USA and Caribbean and qualified for the World Cup T20 final. The Test team, captained by Bavuma, are now back in the West Indies for a two-Test tour, with the matches starting on 7 and 15 August respectively. They’ll play a warm-up game this coming week.

Little Test cricket

“We’ll take a lot of confidence from the team making the World Cup final,” said Bavuma before the team’s departure to the Caribbean. “They’ve grown in leaps and bounds, and a lot of credit must go to that group, even though they didn’t make it. We’ll feed off that confidence.”

Bavuma though says the fact his Test team play so little cricket nowadays makes things far more challenging.

“It is a challenge … all the smaller teams face it. It feels like we’re starting again,” said Bavuma.

“In our camp last week, not all the guys were available (because they’re playing T20 cricket somewhere) … we have to have conversations again about, and remind ourselves, what our blueprint is.

“But, this is also not new to us as a South African team. We just have to make it work, not use it as an excuse.

“There’s actually a lot of excitement about us being in white clothing again, and chasing a red ball again. I think it’s important that we all focus on that and not on the uncontrollables.”

Quick runs

Bavuma though further admits the growth of T20 cricket, and the fact it is now played more than any other format, has made life difficult for batters especially, who have to adjust from one format to another.

“When I speak to batters who play in all the formats, adjusting (from one to another) is the biggest challenge,” says Bavuma.

“The temptation is to score quicker (in Tests) … to be more exciting, entertaining, but in Test cricket you can’t always be successful doing that.

“So, the important thing is the preparation going into Tests again. You have to learn to leave balls alone, learn how to play the conditions.

“That said, in T20 cricket batters are asked to put the bowler under pressure and that stays the same in Test cricket. If a bowler is there for taking, you shouldn’t think twice about it, you have to back yourself.

“But, yes, adjusting from the way you score runs in T20 cricket to Tests is a challenge … but that’s cricket at the moment I guess.”