Updated Test rankings: Proteas captain Temba Bavuma enter top 10
Temaba Bavuma is the only Proteas batter in the top 10 ICC batting rankings, above top players such as Viral Kohli and Babar Azam.
For the first time in his Test career, Proteas captain Temba Bavuma finds himself in the top 10 of the ICC Test batting rankings.
The 34-year-old batsman was the standout performer in the Proteas’ victory over Sri Lanka, winning by 233 runs in the first Test match held in Durban. Returning to the squad after an injury, Temba Bavuma scored a remarkable 70 runs in the first innings and followed up with a superb 113 in the second innings. With this being his third century, the Proteas skipper has moved up four places in the Test batting rankings and is now ranked 10th.
Another strong performance in the second Test could see him climb even higher. Speaking after the first Test win, Temba Bavuma admitted that the Proteas would love to play more red-ball cricket.
“Yeah, we’d love to play more test cricket, the guys enjoy test cricket,” said the skipper. “It’s really, really to get to test yourselves as cricketers and I think it’s also good for the game. When I’m speaking about South Africa I think obviously T20 cricket dominates, we’ve got the SA20 that’s been phenomenal for us but I think test cricket is something that is still highly treasured by a lot of the players. Guys get a lot of joy and satisfaction by seeing themselves successful in this format,” Bavuma said.
Temba Bavuma wants Proteas to play more Test matches
Bavuma is the only Proteas batter in the top 10 batting rankings and ahead of top players such as Viral Kohli and Babar Azam. The Proteas are in action again on Thursday against Sri Lanka in the second and final Test match.
Is Bavuma underrated in Test cricket?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or by emailing info@thesouthafrican.com or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.