February 25, 2025: South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, is not taking Australia’s depleted pace attack lightly ahead of their much-anticipated Champions Trophy fixture on Tuesday in Rawalpindi. While Australia is missing its star bowling trio – Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood – and has been further affected by injuries to Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis’ sudden retirement, Bavuma remains cautious about their formidable opposition.
In a pre-match press conference, Bavuma emphasized that any Australian team competing in an ICC event deserves respect, regardless of its personnel. While Australia’s bowling attack may be missing its mainstay players, Bavuma believes the team still has enough quality to remain competitive. He pointed out that their batting strength could play a pivotal role in overcoming their bowling challenges.
“Any Australian outfit that comes together for an ICC event is always one that you don’t take lightly. Yes, they don’t have, I guess, their mainstay bowling attack, but I think they still have enough to be successful as a team, like you mentioned with their batting. Maybe it could be a case of their batters doing a little bit more than what they’re accustomed to,” Bavuma said.
Australia has shown resilience despite their missing stars. In their previous game at Gaddafi Stadium against England, Australia’s inexperienced bowlers struggled to contain the English batsmen, who posted a daunting total of 351/8. However, Australia’s batters stepped up in remarkable fashion, with Josh Inglis smashing a stunning 120* to help his team chase down the target in just over 48 overs, securing an unlikely victory.
Despite Australia’s impressive batting performance, Bavuma believes that the absence of key pacers offers South Africa an opportunity to exploit. “There are opportunities, and like you rightfully said, probably within the bowling, there’s opportunities. If that presents itself on the day, we’ll definitely be looking to make use of that opportunity. But in saying that, we definitely won’t be taking them lightly,” he added.
With both teams bringing unique strengths to the match, the encounter promises to be a thrilling contest as South Africa seeks to take advantage of Australia’s bowling vulnerabilities while respecting their depth in other areas.
Teams:
- Australia: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly.
- South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch. Travelling reserve: Kwena Maphaka.