Latest news with #TembaBavuma
TimesLIVE
14 hours ago
- Climate
- TimesLIVE
Early start leaves Lord's finalists nervy over composition of line-ups
The Proteas have long been mindful of the conditions they will face in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's next week; be it the weather, the Dukes ball or the slope. It's why they've been careful not to read too much into the outcomes — runs scored and wickets taken — of their match in Arundel against Zimbabwe, where they are using a Dukes ball, there is no slope like at Lord's although the weather has been characteristically crap. No play was possible because of rain for what would have been the third day of their warm-up match Thursday and it may lead some to question why so much stock was put in having the fixture. Temba Bavuma described warm-up matches as largely a waste of time, but even he would have found some value in making 58 on Wednesday. For the rest this was about rhythm, with the mindset stuff kicking into gear once they get to London at the weekend. The conditions at Lord's are of great interest to both WTC finalists, mainly because it's unusual for either side to play a match at that historic venue, this early in June. This is war!!! — Nqobile Madela (@nqobzasheen) June 5, 2025 The last time Australia did so was in 1921, while for SA, in seven Tests at Lord's after isolation, only once have they played at a date as close to next week's June 11 start. That was in 1998 when a century from Jonty Rhodes and a five wicket haul for Allan Donald set up a 10-wicket win. For the rest they've either played there in Late June, July or August as the was case for the Proteas's last trip to Lord's in 2023. 'We haven't played a lot of cricket at Lord's in June so we're going have to make some educated guesses on what the game potentially will look like and that'll generally inform our selection,' Australian coach Andrew McDonald. His side had a team-bonding session in Inverness, Scotland last week and have been conducting some spirited training sessions in Bromley, having forgoed the option of a warm-up match. They, like SA, face questions about the composition of their top order; for the Proteas it's about who will bat at no3, while Australia is weighing up options for an opener to accompany Usman Khawaja. Wiaan Mulder batted at 3 in Arundel, a spot he batted in twice last summer, although not with any great success. He was trapped lbw for 28 on Wednesday and given the quality of the Australian attack and Dukes ball that nips and swings more than its Kookaburra cousin — which both SA and Australia use at home — it is a big risk. Rain delays play in England 🌧️ Wet weather has halted the Proteas' warm-up match ahead of the ICC World Test Championship Final. Fingers crossed for clearer skies ☁️🏏. #WTCFinal #WozaNawe #ProteasWTCFinal — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 3, 2025 The Proteas feel they will need Mulder's bowling and even though Shukri Conrad made Tristan Stubbs his no.3 batter last year, it now appears that the head coach feels Stubbs might be better suited to the middle order. Batting coach Ashwell Prince offered little about SA's tactics, saying Mulder was being prepared in case that was the way they would go, but all options, including Tony De Zorzi, who batted at no.6 against Zimbabwe, remain on the table. McDonald expressed a similar sentiment about Australia, who are understood to be considering Marnus Labuschagne as Khawaja's opening partner, with Cameroon Green their new option for the no.3 berth. 'The batters ... really, it's about how we want to shape that order, they're all viable options depending on how we want to stack them up,' said McDonald. 'We try to make the right decisions at the right time and we're a few days off having to make that decision, so we'll just be trying to prepare everyone for that opportunity.' SA's bowlers didn't get the work out they'd hoped for on Thursday — having bowled just 11 overs the previous evening — and they will want the weather to clear in the coming days to allow them to get much needed miles in the legs before next Wednesday.
IOL News
19 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Bavuma's long road to Lord's: Proteas skipper eyes Test mace glory
Temba Bavuma will lead the Proteas in the World Test Championship final, starting next week, against Australia, hoping to capture the Test mace for the country. Photo: Backpagepix Image: Backpagpix It is very hard to compare the journey that Temba Bavuma has had to undertake to get to where he is now — leading the Proteas Test team ahead of next week's World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord's. The 35-year-old has endured all kinds of challenges in his career, and many of them have had little to do with his on-field performances. He has faced abuse on social media when results have not gone his way, and received scant credit when he has single-handedly carried the team. Considering his journey — and given that Bavuma has now proven himself to many of his critics — there is growing hope that the Test mace will be the first of many trophies he brings home during his tenure as captain. It seems the stars may finally be aligning for a man who has had to endure more hardship than celebration, to bring long-awaited glory to South African cricket — an environment that so desperately needs positive news. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Speaking to the media before boarding a flight to the UK last week, Bavuma admitted that winning the Test mace would bring meaning to everything he has gone through. 'It's a key moment within my career as a leader. I think it will give credence to everything that I've gone through. There's always that question at the back of your mind — 'Is everything that you're doing, everything that you're going through, worth it?'' said Bavuma. 'But then, when you're in moments like these, where you have the opportunity to do something special — not just for yourself but for the nation — it gives you a little bit of motivation and comfort that everything that you're going through is worth it.' Similarly, for many senior players in the Test team — such as Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram and Keshav Maharaj — who have endured a tough rebuilding phase marked by the loss of sponsors and South Africa's fall from grace as a top Test side, winning the mace would be a worthy reward for their resilience. 'I think it's a key moment for a lot of us within the team. A lot of the guys put a lot of significance behind Test cricket. When we speak about a legacy that we want to leave behind, Test cricket is right there at the top,' said Bavuma. 'We're embracing everything that's to come. We'd love there to be that kind of fairytale story in the result. But in terms of just savouring it all, enjoying the moment, and looking to play your best cricket — that really doesn't change. 'But yes, for me, for the team, and for the coach as well, I think winning the Test mace is right up there among the biggest moments of our careers.' Bavuma was injured after the ICC Champions Trophy and missed the tail end of the Four-Day Series at home. As a result, some may be concerned about his form or lack of game time ahead of the WTC final. However, those who follow the game closely will recall that Bavuma returned from a nearly three-month layoff last year — having missed the Bangladesh tour — only to score two centuries and three fifties in seven innings during the home summer. The 35-year-old also showed promising form in Arundel on Wednesday, cruising to an unbeaten 58 during the warm-up match against Zimbabwe. 'I feel like I'm moving nicely. The eyes haven't gone as of yet — which becomes a problem when you're 35,' Bavuma joked. 'But yes, I still feel good mentally. Mentally, I feel fresh — that's the biggest thing. Physically, I keep managing my elbow. The hamstrings are good. So, I'm good to go,' he concluded.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Proteas prepare for Test final with lone warm-up match against Zimbabwe
The SA team will meet Zimbabwe in a four-day game in Arundel starting on Tuesday. They would have liked more game time in the longer format in the build-up to the World Test Championship final, but the Proteas are confident a single warm-up match against Zimbabwe will be sufficient preparation, along with their training sessions as a squad. The SA team will face minnows Zimbabwe in a four-day game in Arundel starting on Tuesday, before moving on to London where they meet Australia in the Test final starting on 11 June at Lord's. Having last played a Test in January, against Pakistan on home soil, Proteas captain Temba Bavuma admitted more time on the field in the red-ball format would have helped, but he said they needed to work with what they had. 'I wouldn't say it's enough, but it's a game of cricket. It's an opportunity for us to be on the field and dust off the cobwebs,' Bavuma said. 'A lot of us haven't been playing red-ball cricket, so it's a chance for the bowlers to get time on their legs and for the batters to get accustomed to their processes and spend some time out in the middle. 'I'm not a big fan of practice games, to be honest, but you take what you take from the opportunity.' 'It will have to be good enough' Head coach Shukri Conrad felt they would be ready to take on Australia, even with a limited build-up, with most players having focused on limited overs cricket this year. After arriving in England at the weekend, the Proteas were at least able to spend some time together as a squad as they geared up for the crunch clash against their perennial rivals. 'This game (against Zimbabwe), coupled with whatever work we can put in outside of that, is going to have to be good enough,' Conrad said. 'But I don't think we need to be doing anything out of the ordinary in order to beat Australia. We probably go in as underdogs, and rightly so, not because of ability but maybe just in experience. 'I'm very confident that, when we play to our best, that we've got every chance of beating them.'
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
‘Quiet demeanour' of Temba Bavuma won't cut it in WTC final, says former Proteas player
According to former Proteas opener Alviro Petersen, Kagiso Rabada and Temba Bavuma will be the two main targets of the Australians in the war of words, before and during, the World Test Championship final starting at Lord's, in London, next week. Rabada, of course, was banned for a month in April for testing positive for banned recreational substance cocaine. Though he's served his ban and has since returned to playing, that's the perfect topic for the Aussies, who are known for their sledging, to exploit. The 30-year-old Rabada is the leader of the Proteas attack, but did struggle for form in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The change of format could serve him well though, but only if he is able to ignore the Aussie 'verbals', believed Petersen. "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 South Africa to say, you've got to try to keep this under wraps,' Petersen told "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, they want Kagiso Rabada to be impacted by it." Another key figure the Aussies will circle like sharks will be Bavuma, as the skipper of the Proteas. "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. "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. So, 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." @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
The South African
4 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
When does the Proteas' World Test Championship start?
It's almost slipped under the radar, but the Proteas will hope to make South Africa proud when they head into the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final from next week. After the Proteas qualified against the odds, they will face favourites Australia in a one-off Test for title honours, taking place from 11-15 June at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. Temba Bavuma will lead the side, with the Test starting at 11:30 next Wednesday. The squad has already assembled in England, and will play a warm-up match against Zimbabwe from 3-6 June, before heading to London on 7 June. Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham (Western Province), Corbin Bosch (Titans), Tony de Zorzi (Western Province), Marco Jansen (North West Dragons), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Aiden Markram (Titans), Wiaan Mulder (Lions), Senuran Muthusamy (Warriors), Lungi Ngidi (Titans), Dane Paterson (Western Province), Kagiso Rabada (Lions), Ryan Rickelton (Lions), Tristan Stubbs (Warriors), Kyle Verreynne (Western Province) Management Shukri Conrad (Head coach), Khomotso Volvo Masubelele (Team Manager), Ashwell Prince (Batting Coach), Piet Botha (Bowling Coach), Kruger van Wyk (Fielding Coach), Runeshan Moodley (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Matthew Reuben (Performance Analyst), Sizwe Hadebe (Physiotherapist), Dr Konrad von Hagen (Team Doctor), Kyle Botha (Logistics and Masseur), Lucy Davey (Media Manager) and Brian Khonto (Security Officer). ICC World Test Championship final 2025 11-15 June: South Africa vs Australia – Lord's Cricket Ground, London – 11:30 (SA time) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
