Bavuma and Rabada will be targeted at Lord's, says Petersen

The Herald

2 days ago

Having opened the batting against Australia's most ruthless Test teams, former Proteas opening batter Alviro Petersen highlighted that it is in the nature of the way the Aussies play their cricket to hunt for the head of the opposition team.
In an exclusive interview, Petersen emphasised that the Aussies would be after Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada's heads in the WTC final at Lord's.
A lot has been said about the Australian team's ruthless nature in the past. In some cases, many have perceived the so-called 'Australian' approach as being abusive and bully-like.
However, many would agree their style and approach to Test cricket is the reason behind the many classic Tests the world has seen in Test cricket history.
Their ultra-competitive, do-anything-to-win mentality has instilled fear in opposition Test teams, and their dominance over world cricket has commanded respect.
Two weeks out to the World Test Championship final at Lord's between captain Pat Cummins' Aussies and Bavuma's Proteas, the Aussies are overwhelmingly favourites, partly because of the huge reputation they have built for themselves.
Having played against some of Australia's best Test teams, Petersen told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview that the Australians would come for Bavuma's head in an attempt to deter the skipper and thus the entire team.
Petersen says the Aussies will not be after Bavuma only because of his captaincy status, but also because of his recent form as by far the most consistent and technically sound batter in the Proteas Test team in the past couple of years.
The former Proteas Test opener called for the reserved Bavuma to stand up for his team at every chance possible and get out of his shell more.
'Forget about his (Bavuma's) technique, forget about what he's done in the last couple of seasons or whatever the case might be, Australia hunt for the head and he's the captain, they're going to come for him,' Petersen told SportsBoom.co.za.
'He needs to be up for it, to be mentally strong for what's going to come. Australia's a tough team to play, especially in finals. They're going to come for him. He will need to stand up.
'That quiet demeanour of Temba Bavuma is unfortunately not going to cut it in the final.'
'You need to stand up, because you're going to have (Australian) players that are all around you, and they're going to make you feel like the smallest thing under the sun.
'He needs to somehow stand up, even when it comes to prematch conferences. It's time to say, listen, we've got this, we're ready for it, we know what's going to happen, and whatever comes our way, we are prepared to throw the punches.'
Petersen added that the recent drug scandal Rabada, this generation's greatest Test bowler, was involved in would have given Australia extra ammo.
With the likes of former Australia Test captain Tim Paine having already publicly disclosed their displeasure with the way the situation was handled, Petersen believes the Cummins-led Test team will be vocal about it on the field to Rabada.
'They're going to jump on it. I mean, you've already seen former players jumping on it.
'They're going to jump on it like a wildfire, and, leading up to that Test match final, they're going to absolutely drill it and nail it into SA to say, you've got to try to keep this under wraps,' Petersen told SportsBoom.co.za.
'This is already the thing I see coming through from the Australians: 'You try to keep this under wraps. How on earth would you have done that? It should have been a three-month ban. You're protecting certain okes'.
'Those sorts of things will come up, and ideally, what they want is [for] Kagiso Rabada to be affected by it.'
The final will get under way from June 11-15 at the Home of Cricket, Lord's Cricket Ground in London. — SportsBoom