Bavuma is the elephant in room

The Proteas’ T20 series against India has come and gone. Mark Boucher’s men lost 2-1, saving some face with a comprehensive showing in the final match with the series already lost. So, with just more than two weeks until their opening match of the T20 World Cup in Australia, are they in a better or worse position after the past week?

The first match of the series was a write-off after five of the top six batsmen were out in the first 15 balls of the match. The second match saw the Proteas fall agonisingly short of a massive run-chase after David Miller’s heroics. And the third, albeit in a dead rubber, was their most polished yet with bat and ball – and thanks to a century by Rilee Rossouw.

The series has shown we have a useful bowling attack and some fire power in our batting line-up. The elephant in the room involves captain Temba Bavuma, who managed just three runs – with two ducks – off 19 balls. That’s simply not good enough, especially when he has been selected ahead of an in-form Reeza Hendricks.

You have to feel for Bavuma. He is horribly out of form and knows he needs to lead from the front in a format that he is probably least suited to. The jury is out whether he should be there.

Former star batsman AB de Villiers said: “I do believe Temba is the right man for the job. I believe his form will come at the right time, at the right place, which there’s no better than the T20 World Cup.”

Another former Proteas batsman, Alviro Petersen, tweeted a few options for the Proteas regarding Bavuma, including one suggestion asking if he should “show leadership and insist on dropping himself”? It’s a route plenty of supporters agree with.

The bottom line is Bavuma has been selected as skipper. He is going to play, whether the public like it or not. Let’s hope he finds some form in the one-day internationals against India, starting today, and in the process, gets the country behind him as the leader of the side.