Temba Bavuma

 

 

His first-class debut for Gauteng came in 2008 and just three seasons after this, he was signed up by the Lions. His good displays for the Lions and the fact that he could maintain consistency ensured that he was promoted and made the vice-captain for the team during the 2013-14 season. Bavuma was on the top run-getters list for consecutive seasons in domestic cricket and hence, he was called up to the Test squad for South Africa, when they toured West Indies, towards the end of 2014. He did not have the best outing in his first Test, but impressed one and all, when he got a half-century when he got his next chance in the middle of 2015, against Bangladesh. The series which imprinted his name into the Test squads for South Africa, was their series against England in late 2015 into early 2016, as he scored a ton in Cape Town. 

 

 

After this though, he has yet to really reach the levels that his early days had promised, as against Australia, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand, he did not have the best outings in South Africa’s Test games, apart from a couple of half-centuries. Temba made his debut in the 50-over and 20-over formats for the Saffas, but again, has not really made a name for himself in these formats. Even though he has more experience in the Test format, he has only notched up a single hundred in his career so far, in the red-ball format. Even after the retirement of veterans like AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla, he has not taken up that role and there is a void in the middle order of the South Africans. The selectors though have not let his form mangle with him playing a key role in all formats as he was selected as the captain for their white-ball teams, and also will be the vice-captain in the Test formats, in early 2021.