South Africa's Temba Bavuma under pressure to deliver at T20 World Cup

Bavuma is so out of nick that he was overlooked in the auction for South Africa's new T20 franchise competition and followed that by scoring only three runs in three innings in the recent T20 series in India. South Africa play warm-up games against New Zealand and Bangladesh in Brisbane on October 17 and 19, before a potential opening World Cup match against the West Indies on October 24, providing the Caribbean team top their preliminary group as expected. South Africa have a poor record in global tournaments, never winning a World Cup or reaching a final in either 50-over or Twenty20 formats.

They failed to make the T20 World Cup semi-finals a year ago on net run-rate. They will need their captain Bavuma to start scoring runs if they are to better their previous best of reaching the T20 World Cup semi-finals in 2009 and 2014. The diminutive Bavuma was appointed South Africa's white-ball captain in 2021.

Although not a power-hitter, he has a solid record in the 50-over game, where he has time to build an innings. But it has been a different story in the shortest format. Bavuma has made only 64 runs in seven innings in 2022 and has a sedate strike rate of 82.05 runs per 100 balls.

Bavuma missed South Africa's tour of England in July and August because of injury and in his absence Reeza Hendricks equalled a T20 international record by scoring four successive half-centuries. Although part of the T20 squad in India, Hendricks did not play, prompting a torrent of abuse for Bavuma on South African social media. Coach Mark Boucher, who will step down after the World Cup, gave his captain a vote of confidence.