South Africa captain sees tri-series as a chance for young players

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma believes the ongoing tri-nation ODI series against Pakistan and New Zealand is a great chance for young players to prove themselves.  

Speaking at a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, Bavuma acknowledged the challenge of facing a strong New Zealand side without some of their key players. However, he remained positive, saying the series would help the team get used to playing in Pakistan ahead of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.  

"It is a lovely opportunity for a couple of guys who have been doing well in domestic cricket and in T20 leagues to make a statement on what value they can add to the team," he said.  

"The tri-series will give us a chance to acclimatise to playing in Pakistan and get knowledge to share it with a wider group and it is also an opportunity for young players to keep on playing in future," he added.  

Bavuma also addressed concerns about the team’s limited spin options, especially after spinners took eight wickets in the opening match between Pakistan and New Zealand.  

“I guess we’ll see it tomorrow if it will be a problem. I mean, we’ve got [Tabraiz] Shamsi and Senuran Muthusamy and if we’re able to play both of them I think that gives the option for the slow bowling,” he said.  

He also admitted that the team selection was affected by the unavailability of some players.  

“Look, the squad we have is what we have at this point in time. We didn’t have the privilege of selecting from everyone that is available back home.  

“So, with the resources that we have from a spin point of view, we’ll just have to make.”  

For the first match against New Zealand on Monday, South Africa’s squad includes six uncapped players as several key players were unavailable due to their participation in the recently concluded SA20 league.