Proteas focused on job on the field in UAE

FROM the moment that the One Day International series between South Africa and Afghanistan was announced, it was inevitable that it would be more than just cricket.

With the deteriorating human rights for women under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, some national teams including Australia have refused to play bilateral series against Afghanistan so long as the situation in that country remains.

The same approach was expected with the South African national team, more so given that Mzansi records some of the world’s worst cases of gender-based violence year in, year out.

As a result, white ball coach Rob Walter was asked about his stance on the matter when he announced squads that will travel to Sharjah to take on Afghanistan later this month.

Understandably, Walter emphasised that the decisions are made by the suits in the offices at Cricket South Africa (CSA).

On the surface, the situation has a sour taste, especially for an organisation such as CSA that is rebuilding trust from sponsors and the country at large following a tough period where they lost sponsorships and general respect in the country.

However, it is important to note that CSA and Cricket Australia are in two contrasting positions as the Australian team has a healthy number of fixtures in their Future Tour Programme (FTP) while the Proteas are desperate to add more fixtures in their FTP in order to further develop the national team.

In a statement, the South African Cricketers Association (SACA) emphasised their support for the participation of women in cricket but also took into consideration the position that CSA find themselves in.

Captain Temba Bavuma, in a pre-departure press conference yesterday, spoke to the media about his personal stance on the matter.

“In my personal capacity, it’s something that is quite strong within my own values. I support the idea of inclusivity and giving women and everyone a fair chance within society,” he said.

“We know that this is something that is relevant to us as a country in South Africa. I’m fully behind the sentiments that are expressed by SACA. As a player, I’ve got to respect the fact that there are people in positions who have that responsibility to speak more eloquently and articulate a little bit more of it.

“In my own personal capacity, I definitely support the stance expressed by SACA and I can understand where Rob as well is coming from in that we are selected to do a job on the cricket field and a lot of our energy will be dedicated to that,” he said.

On the cricket field, Bavuma has the task of leading what is a fairly inexperienced squad since the established players have been rested for this tour.

The 34-year-old will also have the challenge of leading this young team in foreign conditions in the UAE, however the skipper believes that as a team they have played enough cricket to adapt to any conditions.

“The last time we played in Sharjah was in 2021 during the T20 World Cup. The conditions are very different from what we are used to. They are very much on the slower and lower side and a little bit skiddy,” said Bavuma.

“We’ve played enough cricket to be able to read conditions and adjust to them. We expect things to be different to what we’re used to here at home.

“The biggest factor is the weather. We know that it’s going to be hot and humid that side. In terms of guys getting in the right liquids, that’s going to be the important thing,” he added.

The first ODI between South Africa and Afghanistan will get under way on Wednesday.