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Temba Bavuma, the captain of the Proteas limited overs team, didn’t hide his disappointment at not being bought at this week’s SA20 tournament auction.
The small right-decision hander’s to throw away his bat sparked a flood of debate on a controversial topic, especially since he was a key player on the national team’s white-ball squads.
That is the main point of the argument against his exclusion, while others say franchise-based T20 tournaments are “brutal” and based on statistics, and Bavuma’s overall T20 strike rate of 125 isn’t considered dynamic enough for the shortest form of the game.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any feelings of disappointment,” Bavuma said on Thursday, on the eve of the Proteas’ departure for a white-ball tour to India.
“Obviously one expected to play a role in the tournament. But it’s not just me, it’s Andile (Phehlukwayo) too, a man who’s played a lot of white ball cricket for South Africa.
“From my side, there are feelings of disappointment.”
Bavuma is exercising caution due to the fact that his team needs his leadership on a journey that will be crucial for both the 50-over and T20 World Cups.
“I almost feel let down in a way. I don’t think it comes down to any entitlement on my side,” he said.
“I also have to caution myself from delving too deep into it. It’s probably not the right time. As much as I want to perhaps speak about the issue too, it’s not the right time. Our focus is India and the T20 World Cup.”
