Bavuma targets 2027 World Cup while finding perspective through charity

Before heading to training on Thursday, Temba Bavuma got his hands dirty during his foundation’s annual food drive with the Frida Hartley Shelter in Yeoville, Johannesburg. 

As part of the foundation’s Human Rights Day initiative Bavuma carried pots from the kitchen to the serving tables, dished helpings of curry, mashed butternut, pap and beetroot salad into styrofoam tubs which he, with help from some of the foundation’s sponsors, distributed to hungry members of the community. 

“We expected 600 people but there’s a lot more here,” Bavuma said. 

His foundation has worked with the shelter, which provides support and counselling for destitute women and children, for the past four years and Bavuma has built a close bond with its manager Cheryl Hlabane having the Proteas captain on speed dial.

“From the foundation’s point of view, we don’t just want to come in here and do something once-off. We want to keep building the relationship. We try to do three or four initiatives per year.

“There are other [programmes] in Thembisa and Alexandra, [but] probably because of the length of time we have worked with Frida Hartley I’m a little more biased towards them.”

With becoming a father for the first time last year, the foundation's work has provided Bavuma with a perspective that has allowed the travails of cricket to not be taken so seriously. 

“It gets me more in touch with the human side. My life is consumed by cricket and everything that comes with it and we can lose perspective about what life is about. To come here, help to feed people, things we take for granted, it puts things into perspective.”

Given the amount of scrutiny Bavuma faces — which often, given the reach of social media, can be cruel — being able to source context through life away from sport can be relaxing.

“In a way it makes me feel what I go through with cricket, it's not a big deal. In the moment, obviously, it feels like it is — but it isn’t. There’s a lot more important things out there. We are not as important as we think we are.”

Bavuma is finally free of the hamstring injuries which blighted his ODI World Cup and saw him play just 90 minutes of the Test series with India earlier this season.

So confident is Bavuma in his body that he is looking ahead to playing in the 2027 World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa.

“It feels a lot more within reach,” said Bavuma. “There’s been a lot of frustration from a physical perspective, not knowing how the body would react, but in the past few months there’s been a lot of work, some intervention, and if I continue with that, make it a habit, who knows? I could probably go past 2027.

“2027, it's part of my dream. I’d love to be there and have another shot at doing the thing that has never been done.”

There is another opportunity for that in the next few months with the T20 World Cup which will be jointly hosted in the US and the Caribbean. It’s another target Bavuma has set for himself and another in which he is ignoring the “outside chat” about not being a T20 batter.

“From a batting point of view I’ve found some decent form. It’s been nice to just play T20 cricket,” he said, referring to the CSA T20 Challenge in which he has been an important cog in a powerful Central Gauteng Lions batting order.

“From 2021 when I went to my first [T20] World Cup to 2022, there wasn’t a lot of T20 cricket for me, that was just down to the schedule. It felt like I was going from World Cup to World Cup and not having the matches in between to improve my game. Now we have 14 to 16 games lined up and that is ample time for me to get my game where it needs to be.”

Proteas limited overs coach Rob Walter has not made any guarantees to Bavuma. “He said to keep my head within the T20 space. He understands the value I bring, I guess what he was saying was to put the performances in and then we can have a proper chat. I don’t believe any door is shut from that point of view.”

The Lions, with Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks in their side, provides the kind of competition for places Bavuma said he needs.

“If you can make it into the top six in the Lions team, that says something about you. Everyone in the top six bar one guy has international experience. In as much as we have played together for a long time, and there is that synergy, from a [personal] pride point of view, one always wants to be ‘the man’ for the team. I think that is healthy. That can only force us to push our standards much higher.” 

• The Lions face KZN Inland in the second match of a double-header at the Wanderers on Saturday evening. In the first match the Titans play against Western Province at 2pm.