"Felt disappointed, let down": SA skipper Temba Bavuma on not being picked for SA20
Sep 22, 2022
Cape Town [South Africa], September 22 : South Africa limited-overs skipper Temba Bavuma expressed his "disappointment" and having felt "let down" at not being picked in the maiden SA20 auction earlier this week.
Bavuma, the South Africa limited-overs skipper, had set his base price at Rand 850,000 (US$48,000 approx.) but did not find any takers each time his name came up in the auction.
"I'll be lying if I said that I didn't have any feelings of disappointment," ESPNcricinfo quoted Bavuma as saying.
"I certainly was expecting to get involved in the tournament. From my side, there are definitely feelings of disappointment and also feelings of almost being let down in a way. I don't think that comes from any point of entitlement from my side," he added.
Bavuma took the charge of South Africa's limited-overs side in March last year and has so far represented the country in 13 ODIs and 17 T20Is.
"I am cautioning myself to not delve too deep into this whole matter. As much as I'd like to speak more about it, this is probably not the right time. Our focus right now is on India and the World Cup. We are doing what we need to do there. The guys in the team, our friendship, and our relationship go far beyond just being team-mates. We are friends off the field. The guys just being there in terms of their presence for me has been enough," Bavuma said.
Mark Boucher, the outgoing South Africa head coach, was reserved on Bavuma's non-selection for the SA20 but stated that the entire team was firmly behind their captain.
"Temba Bavuma is our leader, and I back him 100 per cent. Yes, there is a lot of talk on social media about all the stuff, about this and that; I don't really care. He is our leader, and we back him in this team like you can't believe," Boucher said.
"The guys were there last night, we were having a couple of drinks, and I could just see the energy around him because I understand the situation he is going through. The bottom line is we are on a journey, and we have been on a journey the last two years," he added.
