Batsman Temba Bavuma is eager to continue making a positive impression at the top of the Proteas’ batting order in T20I cricket.

Bavuma historically bats in the middle, but opened the batting alongside captain Quinton de Kock in the first T20I against England at Buffalo Park in East London earlier this week.

He struck a fluid 43 in a one-run win for the hosts. The outcome afforded them an early lead in the three-match series. Kingsmead in Durban will host the second fixture on Friday.

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‘It’s always nice to contribute to the team. I’m enjoying my time in white-ball cricket and I feel I’m hitting the ball quite nicely,’ said Bavuma.

‘For me it’s just about looking to suck up this little patch that I’m going through and hopefully it continues for as long as possible.

‘In T20 you don’t really have too much time to ponder the conditions. You’re always looking to put the bowlers under pressure.’

South Africa’s squad is without the rested Kagiso Rabada, batsman Faf du Plessis and the hard-hitting Janneman Malan, who will likely return for the T20I series against Australia later this month. Australia will host the T20 World Cup later this year.

‘For a young team like us, a lot of our guys are trying to stake a claim for future T20 games and we can take a lot of confidence from our efforts,’ added Bavuma.

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