‘Not close to where we want to be’: Bavuma says Proteas must up their game

Proteas captain Temba Bavuma admits his team have not been at their best this week, as they look to hit back against Pakistan in the third and final ODI at the Wanderers on Sunday.

Having won the preceding T20 series against Pakistan, the Proteas lost the ODI series this week after going down in the first two matches.

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While they were battling with injuries, and trying to manage and rotate players ahead of the Test series against Pakistan starting next week, Bavuma said they were eager to produce a better all-round performance in the dead rubber Pink Day match. 

“Whether it be batting, bowling or fielding, we just want to find ourselves getting closer and closer to being the best,” Bavuma said on Saturday.

“We don’t have all the resources in terms of players available, but for the guys coming in it’s an opportunity to show they can contribute within the team.”

Proteas eager to ‘up their game’

Ranked fourth in the world in the ODI format, Bavuma admitted the SA team had some work to do to put themselves in contention for the ICC Champions Trophy title to be held in Pakistan in February.

“If we’re honest with ourselves we’re not close to where we want to be. We haven’t played our best cricket in all the different facets of the game,” the skipper said.

“We know there’s still a lot of work to do for us to get to that level. There are not a lot of opportunities from a playing point of view within the 50-over space, so we’re going to have to find a way to really up our game, our skill level and our intensity to again become the competitive, strong unit we know we’re capable of being.”

The annual Pink Day match, which raises awareness and money in the fight against breast cancer, will start at 2pm at the Wanderers on Sunday.