Becoming tougher for players to overlook T20 league opportunities: Bavuma

Since being appointed the captain of South Africa’s ODI side, Temba Bavuma has led them with aplomb - both on and off the field. After crushing Australia in the ODI series in the lead-up to the World Cup, Bavuma will hope to inspire the South African side for a stellar show in the mega event, brushing aside the past hubris that continues to follow them since their readmission in international cricket in 1975.

One of the challenges that many teams are currently facing is the dying prospect of ODI cricket, with Quinton de Kock already announcing that the ODI World Cup 2023 will be his last for South Africa in the 50-over format. Bavuma admitted that the lucrative opportunities in the T20 franchise leagues around the world are too difficult to ignore for the players, but representing the national team in the World Cup is still worth vying for.

“I don't know if it's my job as the captain to inspire the guys to play ODI cricket, but I think my biggest thing is that when the guys have that opportunity to play for the country, they give it their all,” Bavuma said in the pre-match press conference ahead of their encounter against Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Saturday (October 7).

“It's becoming tougher and tougher for, I guess, guys to overlook the opportunity of the lucrativeness of playing in franchise T20 leagues. And that's just the real thing. I think organizations around the countries, at least for cricket South Africa, I know, are trying to get ahead of that trend. Maybe that trend is already gone, but they are trying to accommodate those individuals who have those opportunities of plying their trades outside of just playing for South Africa.”

South Africa lost the services of Anrich Nortje to injury, but they still have an extremely good unit to bank on. Bavuma stated that while pace will be the fulcrum of the team, having Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi balance things out a little bit. 

“With the South African attack as predictable as it may be, we always kind of lean to planning around our fast bowlers. That is our strength as a South African team. So, I think that's no secret to anyone who would be planning against us,” Bavuma said. 

“I think with that being said, you know when we have a guy like Keshav, guys like Shamsi, that does give us our opportunity there when the conditions do speak to playing more than one spinner, we do have we do have guys we can step in and do that quite well.

"But I think the biggest thing is the conditions and trying to put together a team, trying to put together a tactic that speaks to those conditions and conditions that we can exploit as best as we can,” he added.