Temba Bavuma says England’s Bazball approach to Test cricket has been exciting to watch.
England had won just one of their previous 17 Tests before new coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes oversaw a dynamic revamp of their long-format game dubbed “Bazball”, in reference to McCullum’s nickname.
Since then, England have batted at 4.82 runs per over while winning 14 of 18 Tests, with four defeats and a rain-affected draw.
“Bazball is exciting to watch,” Bavuma told Rapport newspaper. “They [Stokes and McCullum] have taken England to a new level with their fearless intent which sometimes swings matches in their favour. I watched it and tried to understand aspects of Bazball implement by playing fearlessly.”
After a lean period with the bat, Bavuma came good earlier this year with two ODI hundreds and 172 against the West Indies that ended a seven-year Test century drought.
“Things just clicked,” Bavuma said. “From a mental point of view, I remained combative. I didn’t give myself over to negative thoughts at all. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, I was mentally ready to take it.
“In terms of my upward curve in Test cricket of late, a few things have played a part. I’ve refined my technique. My mindset has also been that I want to be one of the leading batsmen in the team. I want to be in pressure situations stiffen my back.
“But I don’t just want to get 60s or 70s in those situations. It gives you chances, but it doesn’t win you matches. I want to make contributions that help South Africa win matches.
“As for that 172, it feels like I mentally found a plan and method on how to get big scores.”
