ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021

October 23, 2021

Temba Bavuma

Sheikh Zayed Stadium

South Africa

Media Conference

Australia - 121/5 (19.4), South Africa - 118/9 (20)

Q. Realistically how many more runs do you think it would have taken to win this game?

TEMBA BAVUMA: 118 was definitely not a poor score. I think it's a bit hard for me to say so because we didn't really bat well; barring Aiden was really the only one who had any score of substance.

Definitely not according to plan from a batting point of view. I think anyway, around 150, 160 would have been competitive.

Q. We speak quite often about the balance of the side. What did you think today in terms of, could you have used maybe several extra batters, but you know, did you maybe need a longer batting lineup or some different bowling options?

TEMBA BAVUMA: Yeah, look, we went with the option of the extra batter, but that obviously didn't help our cause. So I mean, as a team we knew what the plan was. We were expecting the wicket to be a good one. Hence we went with the extra batter.

I thought the bowlers bowled quite well. There's no one I can fault today in the bowling. So if you are selecting six batters with an all-around at 7, and you are scoring 118, then I don't think you can exactly blame the plan. I think from a batting point of view, we know that there's a lot that we could have done and we will be looking to correct our wrongs in the next game.

Q. You spoke the day before the game about there were butterflies and nerves and a lot of these guys played their first game in a major tournament. Do you think the occasion was just a little bit too big in the batting lineup this afternoon?

TEMBA BAVUMA: I wouldn't say so to be honest. I think the guys have prepared quite well. You know, terms of the games, terms of trying to deal with all those mental pressures, I think -- I can't remember a time where our batting has collapsed like that in the last while, so I'll put it down to that. It's not every day where your top seven, all of them fail, obviously like I said excluding Aiden.

I wouldn't put it to the occasion to the inside tee. I think it was more an execution thing. And like I said, we'll be looking to correct our roles as batters.

Q. Were you surprised by Australia's tactic to go with three specialist fast bowlers, and is that something that you think could work -- could continue to work in the tournament in these conditions?

TEMBA BAVUMA: I wasn't surprised in terms of our plan. I'm always thinking that they were going to go with their three quicks up front. Australia obviously are a team that look to strike up front and they back their seamers to do so. I guess we weren't -- I guess we weren't surprised by it, yeah.

Q. Tough luck. After posting 118, what was the chat in the dressing room to come back and almost defend the score?

TEMBA BAVUMA: I think obviously -- it's obviously quite tough coming into that second half of the game knowing that you've only posted 118. I think from the bowlers, we just ask them to stick to their plans and execute as well as they can; fielders, to throw everything out there, support the guys as much as they can. And just try to build their pressure. Build pressure, let them make the mistakes. When the chances come, we try to take it, and I feel that's what we did, I mean, our bowling effort for the majority of their innings.

Q. I must commend you, you kept Australia under pressure. Give your overall impressions of the team's batting performance and what can we expect moving forward against another formidable side in England?

TEMBA BAVUMA: Yeah, I think from a batting point of view, like I've said, that wasn't according to plan from the batters. So we've got a lot there that we need to improve. 118 is nothing to cry home about.

From a bowling -- I think the bowlers did quite well to get it up to that point. I think probably from the end, it did get a little bit frantic, so I think maybe that's a talking point for us as a team. Fielding was good barring probably one or two incidents.

Yeah, I think you know, going into the next game, which I think is on the 26th against the West Indies, we are obviously looking to improve and add a couple of percentages in our batting, bowling, as well as our fielding.

Q. I know you mentioned that the bowling attack in general was very good, but I was just wondering if you could perhaps just tell us of the impact of the Tabraiz Shamsi over the past year as your best bowler in your lineup. He's became the third South African to take 50 T20 international wickets for South Africa today. Just how important is that man to your team?

TEMBA BAVUMA: Yeah, Shamsi has opinion a massive performer for us in the last while. I think it's not by accident that he is the No. 1 T20 bowler. We lean a lot on Shamsi as a bowling attack, in terms of his taking wickets and controlling the middle phase. Today he did exactly that.

He's an attacking option for us. I think a good foil with Keshav, and I think going forward, we'll obviously be leaning on Shamsi's performances and hopefully he can go from strength to strength.

Q. The group that you've got now, as you've added Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. What's that challenge going forward now? If you look at the beginning, you can possibly only lose one game. How much does it impact now going forward in terms of the pressure and does it just increase from here after the last?

TEMBA BAVUMA: I think the inclusion of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, two sub-continent teams in sub-continent conditions does make the group a lot tougher. The group was never an easy one, but I think we know that he ever game, we are going to have to come with our best cricket. I mean, with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh coming in, we'll be preparing as best as we can. Our next assignment now is the West Indies and our focus will be there.