Exclusive: Winning WTC Final Would Be a Full Circle Moment for Bavuma, Says Former Selector

Former South Africa national selector, Hussein Manack, highlighted that if Temba Bavuma wins the World Test Championship final at Lord's on Day four, it would be a historic moment and would do more for the development of the game in the country. 

Temba's journey

Many times, we have seen good human beings receive heartbreaking abuse on the cricket field, abuse that, in most cases, is not based on anything but hate.

And too many times, those professional cricketers walk away from the sport without ever getting any big enough success to find closure.

However, sometimes, the cricket Gods allow those players to succeed in front of their critics.

Temba Bavuma, the Proteas Test captain, may be one of those cricketers who has tasted a lot of success in front of his critics most recently.

Last summer, the 35-year-old scored two centuries to help his team secure a spot in the final of the World Test Championship at Lord's.

Now, having reached stumps on Day three unbeaten on 65, with his partner Aiden Markram unbeaten on 102 with a 143-run partnership, Bavuma may taste an even bigger success, one that would be the biggest of his career on Day four at Lord's.

The Proteas need only 69 runs to win the final against Australia, and the victory would make Bavuma the first captain to win a major ICC trophy for South Africa.

"He's had a rough time. I mean, I remember when he got back from the T20 World Cup and he was taking so much abuse," former national selector Hussein Manack told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.

"To go through what he's been through as a cricketer, I promise you, I don't think I would envy him. What he's been through, the abuse from the public, he stood up," he added.

The Impact of WTC Glory

More than anything, should Bavuma bring the trophy home, it would have a massive impact on the country's biggest project in the sport - to spread the game to the townships and other disadvantaged areas in the country.

After all, Bavuma himself was born in a township called Langa in Cape Town, and that alone is enough to inspire youngsters to pick up the sport, a feat that would only strengthen the sport in the country.

When Springboks captain Siya Kolisi won his first World Cup in 2019, thousands of kids picked up the sport as a result.

Manack believes as a role model to the kids in the townships, Bavuma's success would also go a long way in developing the game in the country.

"I think for Temba, someone who's also coming from (the townships), we've always said over the years that if you want to develop the game, particularly among the disadvantaged communities, we can spend all the money in the world but when you've got role models, people who are doing it out there on the big stage, there's going to be thousands and thousands of other youngsters who want to try and model themselves on him," Manack told SportsBoom.co.za.

"That will probably do more for the development of the game than spending all the millions in the townships and things like that. I think it's certainly for everybody who's been involved in the game. I think it would certainly be a feather in everybody's cap, particularly for Temba."

"It's a proud moment. I think probably historic as well, definitely historic for Cricket South Africa to win the first major ICC trophy. It's the biggest trophy now in world cricket because Test cricket is still the ultimate form of cricket. It's huge," he added.

Bavuma led from the front

Bavuma was limping for the better part of his unbeaten half-century on Day three after sustaining a hamstring strain, an injury that had kept the 35-year-old on the sidelines on many occasions in the recent past.

This time around, there was no stopping Bavuma from fighting for his team as he helped the team get close to the 282-run target.

"I'm not surprised that Bavuma stood up. If you look at the fact that he's played with an injury. In fact, I think it's probably more courageous than the knock that Graeme Smith played with a fractured hand," said Manack. 

"That may have been in a losing cause, but I think this time it's in a final, it's a big moment, it's in hopefully a winning cause, and that's certainly something to be proud of."

"So, if you talk about the captain leading from the front, that's phenomenal, and he's a smart captain. He's got a very calm, inclusive manner about him and makes everybody feel part of the team."

Day four is set to get underway at 11.30 am SAST on Saturday with South Africa looking to create history at the Home of cricket.