Temba Bavuma says he is honoured and delighted by his appointment as the Proteas’ new limited-overs captain.
Bavuma will lead the Proteas in the 2021 and 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cups as well as the ICC Men’s World Cup in 2023, while Elgar will take the reins into the next cycle of the ICC World Test Championship.
‘Captaining the Proteas has been a dream of mine for many years as those closest to me would know,’ Bavuma said. ‘This is one of the greatest honours of my life so far and I am looking forward to picking up where Quinny [de Kock] has left off in leading the team into the new culture that we have developed and continue to work on.
‘The responsibility of captaining one’s country is not one I take lightly, and I am looking forward to this new challenge and journey with Dean [Elgar] in the Test-cricket format, as well as leading the team to not just one, but three ICC World Cups in the very near future.’
Elgar, who will take over the leadership responsibilities in the longer format of the game, echoed Bavuma’s sentiments.
‘I’ve always said that to captain your country in any form of the game is the biggest honour that a player can be fortunate to receive. To captain my country’s Test team, which I believe to be the pinnacle of the game, is the biggest highlight of my career and I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent my country in such an important way.
‘Temba and I know more than most the challenge that we have ahead of us in returning the Test squad back to its winning ways, but I know that we’re both more than ready for the task at hand. I’m looking forward to bringing stability back into the team and laying a solid foundation for us to be able to accomplish the ambitions we all have to see the Proteas go back to the world’s No 1 spot in all three formats.’
