However, Bavuma, who is under more pressure in T20Is than in ODIs, indicated that if the new coaching staff wants to move on from him, he will accept that decision. “If the team wants to go in a different direction with a different leader, I am happy to step away,” Bavuma said. “Ultimately it’s up to the coach. We have got a new coach and a new coaching staff; the coach will have his vision and he will need somebody to drive that vision. At the moment the coach has entrusted me with that role so I will continue doing my best. Fortunately, I have got a bunch of guys that support me. For me, it’s business as usual for now.”
But he did not go as far as saying South Africa will look to emulate England’s uber-aggressive blueprint, which they have adopted in all formats.
“They are the pioneers – not just white-ball cricket, even in red-ball cricket,” Bavuma said. “We are South Africans. We have our way of thinking, our way of doing things. There’s nothing wrong with us taking a little bit from England, putting it together and seeing what comes about. With the personnel we have, guys going out and expressing themselves…if that equates to a South African Bazball way of playing – to use a stupid term – then so be it. If it means we are going to go out there and block the shit out of the ball, so be it.”
“With the personnel we have, guys going out and expressing themselves…if that equates to a South African Bazball way of playing – to use a stupid term – then so be it. If it means we are going to go out there and block the shit out of the ball, so be it.”
Temba Bavuma on South Africa’s approach against England
While Bavuma is aware of the critical state of South Africa’s World Cup qualifying campaign, he has not made it the sole focus of the series and instead wants them to concentrate in building a new brand of cricket as they enter another new era. “We know where we stand in terms of how many games we need to win,” he said. “We’d like to shift our focus a little bit, looking to the World Cup. It’s an opportunity for us to clear up our identity and how we would like to play and we would like to use these games as an opportunity to do that. We know what we need to do and if it means in June we are playing in the qualifiers, that’s something we are prepared to do. That’s something everyone is prepared to do looking at the decision that was made to make way for the SA20.”