Temba Bavuma facing up to his demons as SA open T20 World Cup

Captain Temba Bavuma is determined to stand tall in the face of extreme pressure as the Proteas start their ICC T20 World Cup campaign against Zimbabwe in Hobart on Monday (9am SA time).

The 32-year-old has had to deal with a barrage of criticism over his form in recent weeks and if you add to that his illness in the later stages of the ODI series in India, it would be fair to wonder about the player's mental state of preparedness.

The skipper said on Sunday while there were lingering effects of the illness that sidelined him, he has “got over that” and is ready to lead his country.

Asked how he has dealt with the pressure of his lack of form and being national captain, Bavuma said facing pressure was not exclusive to someone in his position.

“The element of pressure is not something that is unique to me as a player, as a sportsman — I think all players have to deal with that pressure,” he said.

“Yes, it comes in different forms and as a captain it is a lot more blown up — all eyes are on you and there is a lot more critique regarding your performances and how you are as a leader.”

However, the defiant Lions batter said he would not shirk his responsibilities as a leader and representative of the national team.

“With the title of being captain comes that responsibility and it is not something one can shy away from. So with all the pressure that is on me, I will face up to it with as much honour and gratitude as I can.”

The right-hander said one key lesson the team took from last year’s edition of the tournament would be to ensure they keep a keen eye on their net run rate, and if the chance to win a game convincingly presents itself, they need to grab it with both hands.

They missed out on a semifinal spot at last year's event despite winning four out of five matches (the same number as losing semi-finalists England, losing finalists New Zealand and eventual champions Australia) because their net run rate was the third-lowest in their six-team group.

SA bowled Bangladesh out for 84 in their fourth match but took 13.3 overs to chase down the target. Had they scored the runs quicker, they would have given themselves a better chance of advancing.

“One of the key learnings we took from the last World Cup was that every game matters,” Bavuma said.

“You want to try to perform as well as you can, but also keep a pulse on that net run rate. If there is an opportunity to win well, [we need to] make sure that we do so.

“We want to start on a positive note, we don’t want to ease ourselves into the tournament because there really is no time to do that, so tomorrow [Monday] will be an opportunity to execute our plans and skills accordingly.”