In a surprising admission, South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, revealed that he had to Google the word “mercurial” after seeing Pakistan described in such a manner. This revelation came as a sign of respect for their upcoming opponents in the World Cup.
Despite a strong start with two victories, Pakistan, the 1992 World Cup champions, faced a series of one-sided defeats against their arch-rivals India, Australia, and neighboring team Afghanistan, leading to concerns about their inconsistency.
Bavuma, however, is well aware of Pakistan’s potential to be both frustratingly mediocre one day and devastatingly brilliant the next. He stated, “I saw a comment that described Pakistan as mercurial. I had to Google the word, but it spoke about how a team can be good one day and not so good the next. So, we want to make sure that when they’re good, we are so good as well.”
History shows that Pakistan has had the upper hand in recent encounters with South Africa, winning six out of their last ten meetings, including a victory by 49 runs when they faced each other at Lord’s in the 2019 World Cup.
Looking ahead to the game, Bavuma said, “We went through the Pakistan team, the threats that they bring, their strengths and obviously their weaknesses. We know that they haven’t played close to their best, but tomorrow could be that. We need to make sure we are ready for that.”
Despite Pakistan’s struggles in the tournament so far, Bavuma emphasized that underestimating them would be a mistake, as he had initially considered Pakistan as one of the top four teams at the end of the group stages. This speaks to the level of respect he has for the team.
Known for their tendency to falter at crucial moments in international tournaments, a trait that has led to the label “chokers,” Bavuma hopes that South Africa’s recent strong performances can change the narrative. He believes they have looked for ways to address and deal with the expectations placed upon them.
Considering the spin-friendly conditions in Chennai, Bavuma hinted at the possibility of including leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi in the team for the upcoming match. South Africa has been performing exceptionally well with their batting, posting high scores in multiple matches, and their explosive batting approach in the death overs has been a key factor contributing to their success.
Bavuma explained, “I think that explosiveness has obviously helped us to be really destructive in the death phase. But I think it’s all due to all the foundational work that is done by the guys at the top.”
