SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith says he is “disappointed” that Proteas T20 World Cup captain Temba Bavuma wasn’t bought at Monday’s player auction.
Bavuma twice went unsold for his base price of R850,000. He is the only member of the Proteas’ 15-man T20 World Cup squad not to be bought by one of the six franchises, with all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo – a travelling reserve – also missing out.
There are no quotas or transformation targets for SA20 franchises.
Only six black Africans were bought – Kagiso Rabada (pre-bought by MI Cape Town), Lungi Ngidi (Paarl Royals), Sisanda Magala, Aya Gqamane (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Malusi Siboto (Joburg Super Kings) and Junior Dala (Durban’s Super Giants).
“There are so many players that missed out but there were also some great stories that came out,” Smith told Sport24. “Obviously, the one disappointment that stood out to everybody was Temba. We’re disappointed but we don’t get involved in that.
“These are international entities building businesses in South Africa, building grassroots programmes and investing massively into South African cricket.
“They’re not just here for a few weeks; they’re looking to grow with Cricket South Africa. It’s a long-term plan and in three to five years, this whole structure is going to look entirely different.”
OPINION: Bavuma a T20 liability for Proteas
Smith said tournament organisers could not do anything to ensure a player like Bavuma was bought by a franchise.
“It’s independent of SA20. All those selections lie with the six franchises.
“As the league, we don’t get involved with that decision-making. If they had requested Temba, then we would have facilitated whatever was required for that conversation.
“I don’t know [why he wasn’t picked]. It’s very difficult for us to know the strategies of the teams and what type of player they are looking for.
“They are global franchises and very experienced in the T20 format. Even in the IPL, you get a lot of players that you expect to get picked but don’t.
“They’ve got big analysis teams and strategies on how to play the game.
“We’re disappointed for Temba, and we hope that he takes this as an opportunity to prove people wrong and goes and gets tons of runs and shows his work.”
