South Africa Test captain Bavuma wants to enjoy top WTC standings success before shifting focus to Pakistan

Dec 09, 2024

Gqeberha [South Africa], December 9 : South Africa Test captain Temba Bavuma is looking to celebrate the Proteas recent surge to the top of the World Test Championship standings before shifting their focus to two Tests against Pakistan, beginning on December 26.
With another dominant display, South Africa sealed a 109-run victory over Sri Lanka to complete a 2-0 series whitewash. In the aftermath of the result, South Africa solidified its position en route to the WTC final by moving to the top of the standings with a points percentage of 63.33 per cent.
Bavuma wants to enjoy recent success and then shift focus on the two Tests against Pakistan that could make or break their chances of reaching the WTC final in London next year.
"I think we're doing well as a team, no.1 in the WTC table as of now, don't know what'll happen in the future, but we'll celebrate today. In a couple of weeks, we've Pakistan coming up, we'll have to keep our focus on that and continue on our journey," Bavuma said in the post-match presentation.
Throughout the two Tests, Bavuma left the fans mesmerised with his consistent outings with the bat. In the first Test, he spearheaded the batting attack with knocks of 70 and 113.
In the second innings, he topped it up with 78 and 66 to end the series as the leading run-scorer with 327 runs, with a stunning average of 81.75.
"Firstly, good to be back. It was frustrating watching the guys from the sidelines. It was good to be amongst them. Was hungry to get back and get the opportunity to be back, happy to have made the most of the opportunities that I got. Durban was tricky on Day 1, conditions overhead, but I just focussed on keeping the scoreboard moving, kept the intent, was fresh mentally and physically and could contribute to the team," Bavuma said about his performances.
In modern-day cricket, where Test cricket barely lasts for five days, Bavuma gave credit to Sri Lanka for their performance, which led to a proper Test cricket.
"This Test match was a proper test of Test cricket. It's not often that you get to play on 5 days. There were times when we were on top. At times, Sri Lanka looked good. A lot of credit to them. They really made us work hard. The batting was outstanding, with seven of them having made centuries at this level. We'll take a lot of pride as batters," he remarked.