South Africa will begin their campaign on October 24.
After losing the T20I and ODI series against India and then going straight to Australia for the T20 World Cup 2022, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said on Saturday (October 15) during the captains’ press conference that "it's not all doom and gloom" for the Proteas.
South Africa, much like India, has been hit by a spate of injuries with Rassie Van der Dussen and Dwaine Pretorius, two of their key players missing the marquee event owing to injuries.
While Van der Dussen has been out due to a broken finger, Pretorious was sidelined from the elite event just recently due to a thumb injury he sustained during the recently concluded tour of India.
Skipper Bavuma’s batting woes are also a cause of concern in the Proteas camp. In 7 games this year, Bavuma aggregated 64 runs at a bleak 10.67 apiece.
“I think it’s not all doom and gloom for us. We’re excited. We’re looking forward to this tournament and how far we can go. To be honest, the guys are in good spirits. We’ve obviously just come from India where we didn’t have the best of series.
“But there’s still a lot of confidence that we can take throughout our season and the performances that we’ve put together as a team,”said Bavuma.
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The 32-year-old feels his team will once again probably go overlooked in the marquee event but believes that the team will perform to their highest capabilities.
“Probably not a lot of expectation around us as a team again. So I guess for us we’ll be flying under the radar every day, doing the best that we can and preparing as well as we can for all the games and enjoy the journey, as well.”
The 22-year-old talented left-arm seamer Marco Jansen has replaced the injured Pretorious.
“Marco is a big addition to us. He comes in with an extra bit of pace. He’s a left-arm option as well that gives a bit more variety in our bowling attack. He comes at quite a steep length, as well.
“Excited to see Marco in the squad. He’s been champing at the bit looking for his opportunity. We’re excited to see how much value he can add to the team,” Bavuma said.
(ICC INPUTS)