E2BET: Temba Bavuma: South African captain Temba Bavuma has made a stunning revelation ahead of the commencement of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord’s from June 11. The veteran cricketer acknowledged that players of colour are almost always under pressure as they are labelled as quota players in case of underperformance.
Temba Bavuma: With South Africa’s post-apartheid era of transformation influenced by racial quotas, it has also spread into domestic and international cricket. As such, the men’s national teams’ playing XI must have a minimum average of six players of colour, of which at least two must be Black African.
Temba Bavuma: Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the WTC final, the right-handed batter said that he has been subjected to unwarranted criticism on quite a lot of occasions and that players of colour are always under the scanner:
“The mere fact I was the first black African brought a different narrative and connotation to it. It can come with criticism. Sometimes unwarranted criticism. I haven’t been short of that. As players of colour, when things are not good, when you haven’t scored runs, or taken wickets, you’re labelled as a quota player.”
Temba Bavuma: The 35-year-old became the first Black African cricketer to score a hundred for the Proteas, doing so in 2016 in Cape Town against England. The year 2023 saw him achieve the feat of captaining the Test side.
Temba Bavuma: “As a captain, there’ll always be the essence of putting the team first” – Temba Bavuma
“As a captain, there’ll always be the essence of putting the team first, but I try to make sure my game is in order then try to empower the guys around me.”
“It becomes a collective leadership style, freeing up the guys to be themselves and play their best cricket. That’s allowed this Test team to get to this point. It will definitely be a highlight in my career, just being there in the final at Lord’s against Australia.”
The Proteas captain is likely to bat at number four in the WTC final.
