Weighing the risks: Is Temba Bavuma’s leadership worth more than his form?

One question needs to be urgently addressed within the Proteas cricket team: How long can Temba Bavuma underperform before he is dropped?

It would be a bold decision, but if the Proteas team management haven’t had internal discussions about it, they’re being naive.

Scratching players from sports teams is not unusual. It’s perfectly standard. But when the player is a senior member of a squad, factors outside their performance must be taken into account.

And when that player is the captain of the team, it makes it even more complicated.

Some skippers offer so much value in terms of motivating the side and ensuring they work together as a unit that they are retained even if another individual is performing better in the same position.

The question that needs to be asked about Bavuma is whether he is one of those captains.

Valuing his worth

In terms of his leadership ability, the only people who can value his worth are the other players in the team, and of course the coaches who work with them every day.

But regardless of how good Bavuma is in his captain’s role, replacing him might not have much of an impact.

The national squad already has another captain in the side – T20 skipper Aiden Markram – who has sufficient leadership skills to take over in Bavuma’s absence. And the value that another batter could bring to the top of the order could far outweigh the loss of a leader.

The reality is that Bavuma’s first job is to score runs, and in this regard, he is just not performing.

It’s also not the first time his form has been questioned, and though they might not want to talk about it outside their meetings, team management must surely be discussing this concern.

The decision that needs to be made is whether having the regular captain on the field is more important than having an opener who can consistently score runs.

It’s not an easy choice to make, but at the end of the day, no player should be bigger than the team.

Winning the World Cup must take priority over any individual, even if that player is the captain.