Ken Borland

Ensuring the Proteas can dominate in spin-friendly conditions and creating an environment of inclusivity within the squad are the two goals that have been occupying captain Temba Bavuma’s mind ahead of the South African cricket team’s departure for Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

The Proteas will play three ODIs and three T20s, all at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Sri Lanka also hosted India for three matches in each white-ball format last month at the same venue and spinners took 23 of the 37 wickets claimed by the home side.

“We had a look at that series to see what we will probably come up against and experience is on our side because a lot of the team have been to Sri Lanka before. We expect conditions to be in their favour, suiting the spinners, and Sri Lanka are a very strong outfit in their own conditions. So it’s going to be tough and our challenge is to be successful in those conditions.

“I definitely have a lot of confidence in our spinners – Tabraiz Shamsi is top of the T20 rankings and flying high on confidence, we know what quality Keshav Maharaj brings and we also have Bjorn Fortuin and George Linde. I believe we can be more than competitive, we can dominate. Our bowling group has been stretched and they adapted, now it’s the batsmen who will be put into a space that tests their skills,” Bavuma said on Monday.

The Proteas confirmed on Monday that paceman Junior Dala and bowling coach Charl Langeveldt are both still quarantining after testing positive for Covid two weeks ago and will not tour Sri Lanka. They have been replaced by Lutho Sipamla and Titans coach Mandla Mashimbyi.

In the four weeks that the Proteas have been home after the Ireland tour, the Social Justice and Nation-Building hearings have dominated the cricket discourse, and Bavuma said the team have kept a keen eye on the revelations and are eager to ensure they do not repeat the mistakes of the past.

“Most of what has been spoken about in the SJN has been thrown around the team with passion. We welcome the initiative, it is necessary and we want to learn from those experiences and mistakes. We’ve had informal conversations and everyone is positive. We have the opportunity to shape our team the way we like, so that down the line no-one can say the same mistakes happened.

“I’d be lying if I said the testimony has not had an impact because some members of the squad have been named. Our coach, Mark Boucher, has addressed us as a team and provided clarity and context, he has kept the guys in his confidence. For me, the biggest take from SJN is to create an environment that allows for a strong sense of belonging and acceptance,” Bavuma said.

The recently-appointed Proteas white-ball captain has been adventurous in pushing his team into potentially uncomfortable places, which must partly be because he feels comfortable in that space.

“The squad in 2021 is very different to what it was like in the early 2000s, guys walk into the team now and feel a lot more comfortable. It was no big struggle for me when I walked in in 2014. I really like to think things are different now and it starts with hard conversations, putting each other in uncomfortable positions to find a better way forward,” Bavuma said.

Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am smashing opposite number Elliot Daly to the deck was one of the highlights of the first Test against the British and Irish Lions and the Sharks captain said it was a deliberate statement to lay the platform for the physicality the home side were going to bring.

It worked a charm in the first half as the dominant Springboks controlled the game and racked up a 12-3 halftime lead. The Springboks’ intensity dropped off markedly in the second half, however, as the Lions took a firm grip on the match through a precise kicking game and their rolling maul.

“That tackle was quite intentional, I wanted to set the standards, to show the step-up in physicality we were going to bring. I wanted to show that as a team we have a great defensive mindset. This weekend we have another physical battle to take on. But we know there will also be a lot of contestable kicks, it’s always an aerial battle in Test rugby and it’s an area we’ve worked really hard on.

“We know how important preparation is and unfortunately we were disrupted before the first Test and we had a feeling that it might bite us at the back end. Unfortunately we could not get the result we wanted, but I think we still played with a lot of energy. We managed to play until the last minute and it was just unfortunate that we weren’t able to convert our chances,” Am said.

The Lions were certainly not expected to use the Springboks’ own preferred tactics against them in the second half, with most pundits predicting they would try and scuttle the ball into the wide channels. Am acknowledged that the Springboks are going to have to adapt better on the field because the tourists have surprisingly made three changes to their starting line-up, which may or may not indicate a change in plan by the Lions.

“The Lions had different styles of players on in the first and second halves and it’s up to us to just try and counter whatever they bring to us. We don’t know their game-plans, but we have to be good at adapting on the field.

“Our system means we always try and cover the whole field and from 2018 we’ve been working on using the aerial battle as a great opportunity to get possession. We expect changes to their plan due to the changes in personnel, we have prepared for that and I’m sure we can adapt on the field,” Am said.

Proteas captain Temba Bavuma said although his team are only 75-80% of where they need to be for the T20 World Cup, it is a positive that they are still winning series as they look to sort out their best squad for the showpiece event in the United Arab Emirates in October.

South Africa have now won back-to-back T20 series in the West Indies and Ireland and they used 18 different players in doing that.

“It’s a good sign for us a team that we have not played our best cricket but we have still managed to win. Winning becomes a habit and we can take a lot of confidence after being battered a bit by being on the losing side for a while. We must not downplay the magnitude of the number of steps we have taken.

“And we have a clearer understanding of the guys to take forward and their roles. We have 70-80% of our World Cup squad and we still have to go to Sri Lanka and see who can dominate in spin-friendly conditions. We’re definitely not the finished product, we’re playing at 75-80% and there are areas to iron out, especially in the batting,” Bavuma said.

Playing Sri Lanka on the subcontinent will be good preparation for the World Cup, with conditions expected to be similar. It is obviously going to be difficult at this late stage, in the South African off-season, for new players to be introduced to the Proteas squad, but coach Mark Boucher hinted that all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius could return.

The 32-year-old missed the home T20s against Pakistan due to injury and then tested positive for Covid before the West Indies tour, from which the Proteas flew directly to Ireland to quarantine.

“There are still one or two positions we need to look at before the World Cup. We wanted to give Janneman Malan a go in the top-order because he was in such good form in the ODIs, but it didn’t quite work out. We also have Dwaine Pretorius to come back. We haven’t really played an all-rounder as the sixth bowling option, but I think we will have that covered.

“We need to look at the conditions and what we need bowling-wise at the World Cup. George Linde bowled well, but unfortunately he was a bit short of runs. Bjorn Fortuin has not had a lot of cricket, so I was very happy with the way he performed. He’s a tough character, he wants the ball. We tried to mix up selection a bit to give guys opportunity,” Boucher said.

Proteas coach Mark Boucher praised Temba Bavuma as an exemplar of good leadership at the weekend, following the captain’s man-of-the-match performance in South Africa’s 49-run win in the final T20 against Ireland in Belfast that secured a 3-0 series sweep.

Bavuma set up the winning total of 189/2 with his polished 72 off 51 balls, and Boucher expressed his delight at his skipper being back in the runs. Bavuma’s first half-century for the Proteas in 10 innings ticks another box for South Africa as they prepare for the T20 World Cup in October/November.

“I was very happy for Temba to get some runs at the end of the tour because he’s been putting in the hard work, he’s a tough character and he takes it personally if he doesn’t score runs. Those runs have come at the perfect time now and he will definitely take that confidence forward to Sri Lanka. It was really just a matter of time before he made runs.

“It’s always nice when your captain can lead with confidence because he has runs under his belt and I have to say Temba has been leading very well on and off the field. It’s very nice now that he has also ticked the scoring runs box,” Boucher said.

While Bavuma said he was aware of his shortage of runs, his focus had very much been on driving the Proteas chariot and ensuring the team came first.

“I have been a bit lean on runs, but I just put aside my personal ambitions and tried to execute for the team. From a batting point of view, our approach was a bit different in this match and we really wanted to lay a foundation up front. We haven’t been good in the powerplay in the previous games, we’ve been too aggressive and lost too many wickets,” Bavuma said.