Temba Bavuma terms tri-series an ‘opportunity’ for youngsters

LAHORE: South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma on Sunday, termed the ongoing tri-nation ODI series against hosts Pakistan and New Zealand an ideal opportunity for the youngsters to showcase their potential.

Bavuma, while addressing a press conference here at the newly renovated Gaddafi Stadium, was probed about the challenge of taking on in-form New Zealand without their key players.

The South Africa captain, in response, shared that the upcoming series serves as an opportunity for them to acclimatise to the conditions in Pakistan ahead of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.

"It is a lovely opportunity for a couple of guys who have been doing well in domestic cricket and in T20 leagues to make a statement on what value they can add to the team," stated Bavuma.

"The tri-series will give us a chance to acclimatise to playing in Pakistan and get knowledge to share it with a wider group and it is also an opportunity for young players to keep on playing in future," he added.

Bavuma also addressed the limited spin options South Africa have for the series, the opening match of which between Pakistan and New Zealand saw eight wickets falling to them.

“I guess we’ll see it tomorrow if it will be a problem. I mean, we’ve got [Tabraiz] Shamsi and Senuran Muthusamy and if we’re able to play both of them I think that gives the option for the slow bowling,” said Bavuma.

“Look, the squad we have is what we have at this point in time. We didn’t have the privilege of selecting from everyone that is available back home.

“So, with the resources that we have from a spin point of view, we’ll just have to make.”

For the unversed, South Africa’s squad for their first match against New Zealand, scheduled to be played on Monday, features six uncapped players due to their key players commitment for the recently concluded SA20.

South Africa squad for tri-nation ODI series match against New Zealand:

Batters: Temba Bavuma and Matthew Breetzke

Wicketkeepers: Kyle Verrynne and Meeka-eel Prince

All-rounders: Wiaan Mulder, Jason Smith, Mihlali Mpongwana and Senuran Muthusamy

Bowlers: Junior Dala, Gideon Peters, Eathan Bosch, Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi.