Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: What did Temba Bavuma say after he was ignored in the SA20 Auction? | Temba Bavuma opens up on not being picked in the SA20 Auction
South Africa limited-overs skipper Temba Bavuma has opened up on being disappointed and let down after being ignored in the SA20 auction this week. Bavuma had set his base price at Rand 850,000 but found no takers amongst the six franchises for the brand-new franchise T20 league.
“I’ll be lying if I said that I didn’t have any feelings of disappointment. I certainly was expecting to play a role in the tournament,” the 32-year-old was quoted in a report by ESPNcricinfo.
Disappointed, but focused on India – Bavuma after the SA20 Auction
He added, “From my side, there are definitely feelings of disappointment and also feelings of almost being let down in a way. I don’t think that comes from any point of entitlement from my side.”
Bavuma’s scenario presented a unique case of a national side captain going unpicked for the country’s premier T20 competition. He has led the Proteas in 13 ODIs and 17 T20Is respectively so far. However, Bavuma has been out of international action since June as he was nursing an elbow injury.
“I am cautioning myself to not delve too deep into this whole matter. As much as I’d like to speak more about it, this is probably not the right time. Our focus right now is on India and the World Cup. We are doing what we need to do there,” he further talked about the issue.
Outgoing head coach Mark Boucher insisted that the team backs Bavuma through this time in a way that ‘you’ cannot believe. “The guys were there last night, we were having a couple of drinks, and I could just see the energy around him because I understand the situation he is going through. The bottom line is we are on a journey, and we have been on a journey the last two years,” Boucher provided an insight into the team environment.
He further explained that there is a need to separate the upcoming T20 leagues from the national team focus. Boucher conceded that the happenings in leagues and auctions are uncontrollable but he reiterated that the team has placed its 100 per cent backing as South Africa heads into the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.
