Latest news with #TestPlayeroftheYear
IOL News
01-08-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Temba Bavuma on ICC mace tour of Langa: ‘It was emotional'
Proteas Test captain Temba Bavuma holds aloft the ICC mace on the world champions' open-top bus parade through the streets of Langa last week. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media It's coming up two months since the Proteas were crowned World Test Championship (WTC) winners, but it was possibly thousands of kilometres away from the home of cricket where the true impact of South Africa's and Temba Bavuma's victory was most apparent. Last week, Bavuma and his Proteas teammates took the ICC mace to his home town of Langa in Cape Town. Hordes of fans, young and old, greeted their heroes to celebrate their landmark victory. Speaking at the Cricket SA awards on Thursday at Emperor's Palace in Johannesburg where Bavuma was adjudged Test Player of the Year, the skipper spoke about bringing that trophy 'back home'.
Daily Maverick
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma clinches Fans' Player of the Year award, turning detractors into supporters
Temba Bavuma has played through hamstring injuries for years. He was denounced for it before, but is celebrated now. A slew of prizes were dished out at the Cricket South Africa (CSA) awards ceremony last night. Left-arm finger spinners Keshav Maharaj and Nonkululeko Mlaba won the biggest awards on the evening: the men's and women's players of the year, respectively. Mlaba came close to cleaning up on the women's side, taking home the Players' Player of the Year award as well as the T20I Player of the Year, while Kagiso Rabada claimed the Players' Player Of The Year. Proteas men's Test skipper Temba Bavuma received the Test Player of the Year award after a fantastic season with the willow in red-ball cricket. He also clinched one of the smaller, but more significant prizes: Fans' Player of the Year. The award is decided by votes accumulated by spectators, with players from both the men's and women's national sides in the running for the prize. Past winners of the award include Laura Wolvaardt, AB de Villiers, Kagiso Rabada and Quinton de Kock, players universally loved from their national team debut. Bavuma's journey of national adulation was less straightforward than the aforementioned group. For a period in the middle of his career, a few years back, the diminutive skipper was the player fans loved to hate. He'd be the one blamed for every loss and any mistake he made would be magnified with millions of eyes waiting for their chance to pounce on it. If there was an award for the most criticised player, Bavuma would have swept it. But now, having let his willow do the talking for him, Bavuma is one of the most-loved players in the team, underlined by receiving the fans' prize. Hamstrung The 2023 ODI World Cup in India was a particular lowlight for Bavuma and one he acknowledges as the lowest point of his career. The opening batter and captain struggled with form and a hamstring niggle throughout the tournament. Nonetheless, the Proteas reached the semi-final of the tournament, but Bavuma was again dismissed cheaply as they lost to Australia by three wickets. The skipper only managed 145 runs in eight innings at an average of 18.12 in the tournament. In a batting lineup that fired across the tournament, he seemed the odd one out. He nearly missed the semi-final due to the hamstring injury but pushed through to lead the side in the important match. While admirable among the team, on the outside it was deemed a selfish decision to not step aside for a fully healthy player to take his place. It's ironic then that the same hamstring injury – which has plagued him since – and his willingness to fight through pain, is a big reason fans have grown to love the leader. Bavuma fought through the bad leg throughout the home summer, leading the side to four consecutive Test victories over Sri Lanka – top scoring with two centuries, and 504 runs at an average of 72 – to lead the side to the World Test Championship final. There, again the nasty hamstring reared its painful head. Bavuma batted in the second innings of the run-chase against Australia at Lord's, barely able to run but nonetheless contributed 66 vital runs in a 147-run second-wicket stand with opening batter Aiden Markram. Bavuma battled through the pain and played a massive role in helping the Proteas achieve their first major ICC trophy, the World Test Championship mace. Being awarded as the Fans' Player of the Year is unsurprising then but two years ago it was unimaginable. It's been two years of physical and mental pain, but the inspiring leader pushed through it to find his joy. The skipper could rewrite those low moments even further, in the same format as the 2023 heartsore, by leading the side to their maiden World Cup trophy in 2027 at home. DM 2025 CSA international Award winners: International Men's Newcomer of the Year: Ottneil Baartman Men's T20I Player of the Year: Anrich Nortje Men's ODI Player Of The Year: Heinrich Klaasen Men's Test Player Of The Year: Temba Bavuma Men's Players' Player Of The Year: Kagiso Rabada SA Men's Player of the Year: Keshav Maharaj International Women's Newcomer of the Year: Ayanda Hlubi Women's T20I Player of the Year: Nonkululeko Mlaba Women's ODI Player of the Year: Annerie Dercksen Women's Players' Player of the Year: Nonkululeko Mlaba
