CSA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe says Temba Bavuma is “a lot stronger” following the Proteas’ 2023 World Cup semi-final defeat than he was after last year’s T20 World Cup disappointment.

In 2022, the Proteas suffered a shock loss to the Netherlands in Australia to miss out on the semi-finals of the T20 event. Bavuma scored 70 runs in five matches at the tournament, at an average of 17.50 and a strike rate 112.90.

This year, South Africa’s hopes of winning the ODI World Cup in India were ended by Australia. Bavuma again struggled with the bat, scoring 145 runs in eight matches at an average of 18.12 and a strike rate of 73.60. He was also criticised for some of his captaincy decisions.

However, Bavuma still has the backing of head coach Rob Walter, and Nkwe.

Speaking to News24, Nkwe said Bavuma is “strong, and he’s better compared to the state he was in after last year’s T20 World Cup.

“He was broken and hurting a lot last year, but this year, he’s had a different feeling. He’s a lot stronger and more positive this year, and I’m not surprised that he’s still optimistic.

“He’s been leading this team for a couple of years, and what he dealt with now and before are two different things.

“He’s had a lot of new energy with how we’ve approached things this year. He was a lot more disappointed with himself and his performances.

“He was harsh on himself, which was a sign of a quality man, human being, and leader.

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“Despite the performances that he wasn’t happy with, he put himself in a position to lead the team into a position of contesting well for the World Cup.

“I’ll forever respect him for that because, regardless of what he went through as a cricketer in the tournament, he made sure he didn’t drop his standards as a leader.

“He gave it everything, and while there was backlash with regard to the decisions he made, he doesn’t regret them.”

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