The Proteas finished a testing week with a hard-fought victory over Sri Lanka to continue their upward trajectory at the ICC T20 World Cup in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, yesterday.When Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber took over as the Springbok coaching duo three years ago, they outlined their mandate as winning, transforming and developing squad depth. As a plan for sustained success goes, those three pillars are logical and laudable.
Temba Bavuma’s career in cricket has always looked like an exercise in walking a fine line. As a test cricketer, he may have had the honour of becoming the first black African batsman to score a century for South Africa, but the narrative around his red ball cricket for his country – perhaps as a way to intone he doesn’t belong – has always centred on his not adding to that century in 72 more innings.