Handling pressure is key, says Bavuma, as Proteas prepare for Pakistan

The more outstanding performances they produce, the more the SA team is facing mounting pressure, but captain Temba Bavuma believes they have the staying power to go all the way at the Cricket World Cup.

Lying second in the standings midway through the opening round of the tournament, the Proteas were well positioned with four wins from five games.

Preparing to face fellow title contenders Pakistan in Chennai on Friday, however, Bavuma admitted the national side could not ignore the ‘chokers’ tag they carried.

The skipper nonetheless insisted they were not letting potential stress get to them in search of their maiden World Cup title.

“We understand that as the tournament progresses, the more we keep playing well, that’s going to come to the fray. But I think we’ve developed ways as to how we can, I guess, divert our attention and focus on the important things,” said Bavuma, who was set to return to the field after missing the Proteas’ last two games due to illness.

“It’s still early in the tournament. There’s still going to be pressure situations that we’re going to have to overcome.

“If we stumble, we’ll probably have to deal with that tag again. But for us as a team, we’re looking at other ways to be able to deal with the pressures and expectations that come with being on the field.”

Unpredictable opponents

While they were coming off three straight defeats, Bavuma said the Proteas remained wary of former champions Pakistan, who had repeatedly proved in recent years they could beat anyone on their day.

“Starting the tournament I had them as one of the top four teams at the end of the group stages, so that’s the amount of respect we have for Pakistan,” Bavuma said.

“We don’t have a great record, to be honest, against Pakistan in ODIs. So I think with everything that is happening around their team, the things that are not happening well for them, I think that humbles us as a team and it really gets us, I guess, to just pull ourselves back and make sure that we still focus on playing good cricket.”