'What is the metric is to judge someone?': Bavuma hits back at critics for questioning his captaincy

The cruise ship of South Africa yet again sunk before reaching the final destination. It has been the story of the Proteas in their 3-decade-old history and unfortunately, the 2023 World Cup could not alter the trajectory. This time. South Africa's journey ended after loss to Australia in semi-final 2.

3 things you need to know

• Australia won the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 by beating India in the final
• Australia got the better of South Africa in the semi-final of the tournament
• Temba Bavuma draws criticism for the semi-final loss against Australia

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Temba Bavuma is under fire for the way he played in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023

The Temba Bavuma side would have a lot to cheer regarding how they progressed in the ODI World Cup 2023. But the disappointing end may obscure the dominance they showcased in the marquee tournament. South Africa were clinical against almost all the top prospects in the league section and barring India and Netherlands, obtained a clinical victory over all the other opponents.  However, they could go past the semi-final stage and yet again a batting collapse let them down.

In hindsight, it is captain Temba Bavuma, who is receiving stick for the way he batted throughout the tournament and subsequently, his leadership ability has been questioned following the loss against the Aussies.

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Bavuma hits back at naysayers

However, Bavuma did not sit quietly on what was being said and hit back at the critics by presenting facts.

"I have said it from the beginning that if any of the guys stood there and said, ‘Temba, you are not the man for the job as captain,’ then I would happily walk away. These are the bunch of guys who we have been together since 2020. We know each other through and through, and we know what we play for. I am not the guy who is on Twitter or Facebook." Bavuma told The Daily Maverick.

South Africa attained 7 victories in the round-robin stage and came second on the points table behind India. Their tremendous show set up a meeting against Australia, where in a low-scoring match, Pat Cummins' side got away with a narrow victory of 3 wickets.

"I don’t know what the metric is to judge someone if they’re captaining well. We won the most games in the group stage out of any South African team. We beat teams that haven’t been beaten in a while in World Cups so what metrics are we going to use to judge whether a guy is using the job as the captain?" wondered Bavuma.