Temba Bavuma and the Proteas will be hoping to make a positive start. Photo: EPA/Richard Wainwright
Cricket World Cup 2023: Proteas’ ‘near-perfect’ game pleases Bavuma
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma had all the good things to say about his team’s performance against Australia at Ekana Stadium on Thursday.
Temba Bavuma and the Proteas will be hoping to make a positive start. Photo: EPA/Richard Wainwright
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma had all the good things to say about his team’s performance against Australia at Ekana Stadium on Thursday.
The Proteas destroyed the Aussies on Thursday, thrashing them by 134 runs for their second win of the tournament.
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This after Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first but their fielding was awful as the Proteas posted 311 runs in 50 overs.
Australia knew they had a mountain to climb as they needed 312 to win – but the Proteas bowlers and fielders were just too good.
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The Proteas bowlers brought in their A-game as they combined to bowl the Aussies out for 177 in just 40.5 overs.
Now, speaking after the match, Bavuma dubbed this a ‘near-perfect’ game for the Proteas while also admitting that it would be greedy of him to say they could have done better on the day.
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Bavuma further paid special tribute to both Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada for their top performances against Australia.
BAVUMA LAUDS PROTEAS’ NEAR-PERFECT GAME VS AUSSIES
“311 was a little bit over-par… 290-300 was par. I am glad to lose to the toss as things worked out in our favour. We were going bowl first had we won the toss. I was scratching around. So, Quinton needs to be credited a lot. I’d be really greedy if I said there were areas to improve. It was a near-perfect game with the bat, and with the ball, and looking at all the phases, the guys dominated and showed their skills,” Bavuma said in the post-match.
“You’ve got to acknowledge the batting effort, being over-par, and we were clinical with the new ball, then KG followed up with intensity, then the spinners. Character is the biggest thing we talk about, and we showed it today. Let’s enjoy the individual performances then come back and find ways to get better and better as a team,” added Bavuma.
