OPINION: Bat on Temba Bavuma — and bat big

How quickly things can change in sport.

And in recent weeks we have all been reminded of this yet again, thanks to the scintillating batting form of Temba Bavuma.

It wasn’t that long ago that Bavuma was in the doldrums, not able to score a run, ignored more than once (initially) at the SA20 player auction and all sorts of questions being asked about his form and worthiness to play for South Africa.

Change of fortunes

But a quality 109-run knock in an ODI against England at the end of January saw Bavuma being snapped up by the Sunrisers Eastern Cape for the latter stages of the SA20 and he hasn’t looked back.

It is a far cry from the situation Bavuma found himself in at the T20 World Cup in Australia late last year when everyone was calling for his head.

Sure, his T20 form wasn’t good and he stepped down as team leader when Rob Walter came in as white-ball coach.

But what a revelation he has been in ODI and Test cricket … once the burden of captaining the T20 team was lifted off his shoulders.

Bavuma has since registered a highest Test score of 172 and a highest ODI score of 144. He has very much been the mainstay of the Proteas batting lineup, something naysayers wouldn’t have predicted a while back.

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His batting has been top-notch and just for the record for those who still have their doubts, only Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen (21 innings each) have got to 1,000 ODI runs more quickly than Bavuma (23 innings).

South Africa’s ODI and Test captain dealt superbly and maturely with the criticism levelled at him last year, perhaps acknowledging he is not the right fit for T20 cricket (though he has now been recalled to the Proteas T20 side because of his hot form), by showing all his class in the other formats and as a leader.

At 32, Bavuma is no spring chicken, but hopefully he has a good few cricketing years left in him.

When one considers how brittle the Proteas batting lineup is at times it is good to know Bavuma is there and the glue that holds it together.

May the little man bat on, and bat big.