The question was inappropriate. So it was in Temba Bavuma right to smile curtly, look up and out of the screen, and rub his beard, keeping his thoughts to himself. But only after he answered.

This was not the first time Temba Bavuma was wrongly questioned and it will not be the last either. And, being a man of good grace, he has always answered. And will undoubtedly keep answering. This time, in an online press conference on Sunday, he was asked, essentially, why South Africa’s cricket teams don’t perform more like their rugby side.

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🗨️ "It was frustrating being on the side, but as much as I was on the side, I was quite engaged with the team"

Temba Bavuma is on track to leading South Africa at the T20 World Cup

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 3, 2021

Temba Bavuma overcame a nine-point deficit to suffer the Blacks’ first defeat

In Australia’s Gold Coast on Saturday, the Springboks crossed a nine-point deficit to suffer the All Blacks’ first defeat in 11 matches. Temba Bavuma beat 31–29 with the last kick of a game, having changed the lead four times for the last five minutes.

New Zealand players had won the rugby championship – the sport’s southern hemisphere title – a week earlier. When Temba Bavuma beat South Africa 19-17. But this is the blue stripe of rugby. Which can be easily guessed because the cricket world is waiting for the Ashes or showdown between India and Pakistan. So the broader context of a dead rubber turns into irrelevance in the still broader context of a rivalry that depends only on the circumstances.

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Temba Bavuma regards opponents as dishonest and cynical

Saturday’s epic lived up to that narrative. The Springboks regained the world No. 1-ranking left to the All Blacks at the end of last week. The victory followed three Springbok losses, the first two for Australia – always united for South Africans, who, despite the fact that the Wallabies regarded the Wallabies as inferior, Temba Bavuma dishonest and cynical opponents. Like the Springboks, they won the championship. is, or its precursor, the Tri-Nation, four times.

The All Blacks have been kings of the Southern Hemisphere 18 times since the competition began in 1996. But only South Africa and New Zealand have won the World Cup thrice.

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So the real match for South Africa will always be New Zealand. And the performance of South Africa’s cricket teams – especially in major tournaments – will, however, be inaccurate, always seen through a set of rugby positions.

We can take a lot of inspiration from Springboks, says Bavuma

“We can take a lot of inspiration from Springbox,” said Temba Bavuma. “As much as they performed in the championship, it was not what they wanted. You always had the belief that they could win it at that point in time. The fight that they have and the resilience they have shown. Over the years, it’s something like It’s something we admire. As Proteas, we rely on our resilience. We know people want us to do it on the big stage in moments of pressure.”

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People do, and they will be watching closely for signs of change when Temba Bavuma leads his team in the men’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Notably, South Africa has never won a Senior Cricket World Cup of any description. Notoriously, they have been a greater threat to their success than their opponents. When it was hot. They have found ways to lose games that seem to have been won. The same cannot be said about Springbox. Thus keeping the right approach in mind will be the key to South Africa’s chances in the T20 World Cup. That work is with Bavuma.