"He performs when it matters most" - AB de Villiers on Temba Bavuma ahead of AUS vs SA 2023 World Cup semi-final
Former South African captain AB de Villiers has thrown his weight behind Temba Bavuma to come good in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against Australia on Thursday. The former keeper-batter reckons the right-handed batter steps up to the task when it matters the most.
Bavuma is yet to register a score of above 35 in the 2023 World Cup and has thus far managed only 145 runs in 7 innings at 20.71. Nevertheless, the veteran batter has had a stellar 2023 in ODIs, amassing 782 runs in 17 fixtures at 52.13 alongside three centuries.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, De Villiers admitted that Bavuma made some poor leadership calls, but backed him to step up in the semi-final. He also advised the Proteas not to panic during a run-chase.
"Temba is our captain, guys … he is going nowhere. He has made some incredible leadership calls in the last while. He performs when it matters most for South Africa, and we do need someone who is a bit more solid up front. There is more time in a chasing scenario than you think. Batters tend to panic quite early, so I would say chasing for SA, keep setting that foundation."
While South Africa have been excellent in setting targets, they have struggled while chasing totals. India and Netherlands defeated the Proteas when they batted second, while Bavuma's men found it slightly difficult to chase down 245 against Afghanistan in Ahmedabad.
"In Kolkata, it was a very important toss to win" - AB de Villiers
The 39-year-old reckons that the toss, and judging the conditions, will be very critical in Kolkata, especially evident by India's comprehensive 243-run victory at the venue. He added:
"In Kolkata, it was a very important toss to win. We were all hoping for a bit of dew to come around in the second innings (against India, who dismissed SA for 83) ... it didn’t. It got slower and it started turning even more. So, it was one of those – it was a rough one. Take it on the chin and you say, ‘Well played India, you were the better team on the day’, and you move on. But there are some other scenarios where South Africa haven’t been chasing well, and I think Glenn Maxwell and Australia (against Afghanistan, where he scored an unbeaten 201) is the perfect example."
The Proteas had steamrolled Australia earlier in the tournament by 134 runs.