Bavuma will be refreshed when he returns, says Elgar

Proteas Test captain Dean Elgar believes Temba Bavuma will be in the right frame of mind to produce his best when he returns to the field of play. 

Elgar was speaking at a media conference for the team ahead of their journey Down Under, where they will play Australia in a three-match series starting on December 17. 

Bavuma, who captains the Proteas limited-overs sides, came under intense scrutiny in the series leading up to and including the ICC T20 World Cup, where his side, needing only a win against the Netherlands to progress to the semifinals, failed to do so after a humbling 13-run defeat.

Eventual finalists Pakistan went through alongside India from the group.

While Bavuma has not played any form of cricket since his return from the World Cup, Elgar would not be drawn into specifics surrounding his conversations with Bavuma, adding that the time away from the game would do him good. 

The diminutive right-hander has been a key component of the Proteas’ Test batting unit, averaging about 48 in his last 12 Tests, and Elgar will be keen to see him back at full tilt for the upcoming encounters. 

“I respect what he has been through, but I cannot speak of what he has been through because I would not know how to deal with it personally. 

“So, for now, I am respecting the space he is in and I think the time off has done him well.

“The conversations must still start with him going forward.

“I think he just wanted to have a break from the game, and you have to respect that as well — he has a lot of pressure on him.

“At the end of the day, we still have work to do, we have to go to work again soon and he has to be in the right space for the team, that is the message I will put forward to him, and I am pretty sure he will respond well,” Elgar said. 

The last Boxing Day Test match SA were involved in at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was in the 2008/2009 season, where they went on to win and also claim the series 2-1. 

“Growing up as a child, you always wake up for these Boxing Day Test matches and don’t mind losing a few hours of sleep. 

“Now we have 16 players who are going to experience this first hand.

“It is a childhood dream of mine to play in a Boxing Day and New Year’s Test in Australia.

“I don’t think you can get bigger than that,” the left-hander said. 

The Proteas go into the series with the aim of keeping their flawless record, which has seen them claim series wins in their last three visits to Australia.