Temba Bavuma takes over as Test captain, steps down from leadership role in T20Is
Temba Bavuma has been appointed the latest captain of the South African Test team in lieu of a string of disappointing results of late under Dean Elgar. Bavuma consequently relinquished his post as T20I skipper with the announcement of his replacement yet to be announced by Cricket South Africa.
Cricket South Africa on Friday announced that Temba Bavuma would replace Dean Elgar as the country's Test captain on the back of two consecutive series losses away from home. The former, however, still couldn't take the mantle of being the all-format captain after stepping down from the role in T20Is following the sudden announcement. Bavuma's first assignment in his new capacity is a two-match Test series against West Indies starting February 28 at the Centurion.
Bavuma's appointment has come following Mark Boucher's end of tenure as the team's head coach, leading to the appointment of Shukri Conrad to the role in red-ball cricket. The 32-year-old has won 24 and lost 16 white-ball games so far in what has been a tumultuous phase for the team. At present, South Africa are at risk of missing out on direct qualification for the ICC World Cup 2023, despite Bavuma's heroics leading them to a recent series win against England. The side was also knocked out in the group stages at two World T20s under his reign amidst calls for Bavuma to be dropped from the shortest format altogether.
"We trust he will deliver on all our expectations and help carry the team forward after some excellent work by his predecessor Dean during the same period. At the same time, I would like to sincerely thank Dean for all his commitment to the role over the past two years. He helped the team navigate through some stormy waters and put them in a good position on the ICC World Test Championship table," Enoch Nkwe, CSA's director of cricket, was quoted saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Elgar first captained the Proteas in 2017 and led the team in 17 Tests overall, winning nine while losing eight. His achievements include series wins in the Caribbean and against India at home but the side under him recently suffered an embarrassing 2-0 loss Down Under, including a two-day defeat. Nevertheless, South Africa soared to a strong position in the ongoing World Test Championship under him and still have a chance of making it to the final at The Oval in June.
"Both men have made us proud with the work they have done within the wider Proteas group and look forward to the next step in what is a new era for the Proteas under the leadership of dual coaches Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter," Nkwe added.
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