The Crossbill Sports Desk
South Africa Test captain Temba Bavuma has weighed in on the debate around players skipping the customary post-match handshake, saying the optics do little to serve the spirit of cricket.
Speaking while serving on the commentary panel during the ongoing T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Bavuma reflected on a range of issues — from the India-Pakistan no-handshake policy to South Africa’s resurgence across formats and his own international future, news agency PTI reported.
“Yeah it (no handshake policy) doesn’t look good right if you’re looking at it from the outside. It doesn’t look good for the game of cricket, at the end of the day it’s a gentleman’s game, that’s what we’ve grown up with, a certain behaviour that is expected of us…,” Bavuma was quoted as saying by the news agency.
“…but like I said that is from the outside. I am not not versed with the politics between India and Pakistan so I can’t speak to that point of view but I think as a spectator who’s just looking at it as it is without the full context, it doesn’t hold well for the game of cricket,” added the 35-year-old.
Bavuma’s comments come at a time when South Africa are riding high across formats.
Their historic World Test Championship triumph at Lord’s in June, followed by a landmark Test series win in India after 25 years, has reshaped perceptions around a team long burdened by the “chokers” tag.
Several members of that victorious WTC squad — including Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi and Tristan Stubbs — are now part of the T20 World Cup campaign, where the Proteas remain unbeaten and are among the favourites for the title.
“…the confidence, the belief that we’ve done it before, we’ve gotten over the line there’s guys who were there at the WTC final who are here within the T20 side. The experience of this T20 team from the 2024 World Cup, the hurt that would have come with not being able to go over the line that would have definitely been part of their motivation to make sure that things go their way this time,” he stated.
“All the ingredients are there for the guys to go all the way. The fact that the guys are undefeated in the World Cup speaks volumes and they’ve really played good cricket from a batting point of view, from a bowling point of view, the guys have really been on top,” Bavuma said ahead of the semifinal against New Zealand on March 4, reported PTI.
He also addressed the broader discussion around Indian batters struggling against spin, a theme that surfaced during South Africa’s recent red-ball success in India when spinners Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj outperformed their counterparts.
Bavuma suggested that the evolution of the modern game, particularly the rise of T20 cricket, has influenced batting mindsets worldwide.
“In the modern game, the attacking part of the game has been over-emphasized… I mean Test cricket is such that you need a strong defensive game to be able to handle the attrition that comes with it. Being able to bat for a day, two days at a time.
“…I think it’s just a phenomenon around around the world (due to T20 cricket), a lot of the guys take the attacking option first and if that doesn’t come off then you don’t have something to fall back on.
“It’s the mindset that is geared towards attacking and taking on the game and kind of forgetting or ignoring the defensive side. That’s very much a T20 mindset…Having said that, it was a massive achievement for us a nation to win in India after such a long time,” said Bavuma, PTI reported.
Looking ahead, Bavuma made it clear that he remains committed to South African cricket despite speculation about how long he might continue at the highest level. With a home ODI World Cup in 2027 and another potential World Test Championship final on the horizon, he sees significant milestones still to pursue.
“2027 is obviously a big year for us. There’s a potential WTC final. We have the home series against Australia, England and Bangladesh this year. The ODI World Cup we are hosting, there is lot of planning around that. So yeah I’m still fully much aligned and invested in South African cricket, I’m not going anywhere,” he concluded.
Speaking while serving on the commentary panel during the ongoing T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Bavuma reflected on a range of issues — from the India-Pakistan no-handshake policy to South Africa’s resurgence across formats and his own international future, news agency PTI reported.
“Yeah it (no handshake policy) doesn’t look good right if you’re looking at it from the outside. It doesn’t look good for the game of cricket, at the end of the day it’s a gentleman’s game, that’s what we’ve grown up with, a certain behaviour that is expected of us…,” Bavuma was quoted as saying by the news agency.
“…but like I said that is from the outside. I am not not versed with the politics between India and Pakistan so I can’t speak to that point of view but I think as a spectator who’s just looking at it as it is without the full context, it doesn’t hold well for the game of cricket,” added the 35-year-old.
Bavuma’s comments come at a time when South Africa are riding high across formats.
Their historic World Test Championship triumph at Lord’s in June, followed by a landmark Test series win in India after 25 years, has reshaped perceptions around a team long burdened by the “chokers” tag.
Several members of that victorious WTC squad — including Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi and Tristan Stubbs — are now part of the T20 World Cup campaign, where the Proteas remain unbeaten and are among the favourites for the title.
“…the confidence, the belief that we’ve done it before, we’ve gotten over the line there’s guys who were there at the WTC final who are here within the T20 side. The experience of this T20 team from the 2024 World Cup, the hurt that would have come with not being able to go over the line that would have definitely been part of their motivation to make sure that things go their way this time,” he stated.
“All the ingredients are there for the guys to go all the way. The fact that the guys are undefeated in the World Cup speaks volumes and they’ve really played good cricket from a batting point of view, from a bowling point of view, the guys have really been on top,” Bavuma said ahead of the semifinal against New Zealand on March 4, reported PTI.
He also addressed the broader discussion around Indian batters struggling against spin, a theme that surfaced during South Africa’s recent red-ball success in India when spinners Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj outperformed their counterparts.
Bavuma suggested that the evolution of the modern game, particularly the rise of T20 cricket, has influenced batting mindsets worldwide.
“In the modern game, the attacking part of the game has been over-emphasized… I mean Test cricket is such that you need a strong defensive game to be able to handle the attrition that comes with it. Being able to bat for a day, two days at a time.
“…I think it’s just a phenomenon around around the world (due to T20 cricket), a lot of the guys take the attacking option first and if that doesn’t come off then you don’t have something to fall back on.
“It’s the mindset that is geared towards attacking and taking on the game and kind of forgetting or ignoring the defensive side. That’s very much a T20 mindset…Having said that, it was a massive achievement for us a nation to win in India after such a long time,” said Bavuma, PTI reported.
Looking ahead, Bavuma made it clear that he remains committed to South African cricket despite speculation about how long he might continue at the highest level. With a home ODI World Cup in 2027 and another potential World Test Championship final on the horizon, he sees significant milestones still to pursue.
“2027 is obviously a big year for us. There’s a potential WTC final. We have the home series against Australia, England and Bangladesh this year. The ODI World Cup we are hosting, there is lot of planning around that. So yeah I’m still fully much aligned and invested in South African cricket, I’m not going anywhere,” he concluded.
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