(Reuters) – South Africa’s new limited overs captain, Temba Bavuma, must be given time to find his feet but coach Mark Boucher believes his appointment as the country’s first black captain represents “exciting times”.
Bavuma will make his first appearance in the role when South Africa kicks off a three-day One-Day International home series against Pakistan on Friday, followed by three Twenty20 matches in the run-up to India’s T20 World Cup in India later in the year.
The batsman takes over from wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, who has given up captaincy in all three formats.
“It was a big choice to make and we have to give Temba some time to find his feet,” Boucher told reporters on Thursday.
“His preparation has been fantastic, the way he has spoken to the lads. We feel it is a very exciting time for us with him as captain and we look forward to getting on the field and playing. “
South Africa has not competed in international cricket since the end of a test and T20 tour of Pakistan in mid-February, and Boucher said he has been working on adding shots to his batters’ armor to assist with spinning conditions.
“There is a lot we have been working on to upskill players. It’s about giving boys different options to score 360 (degrees around the wicket), ”he said.
“That will take time. You’re not just putting a guy in the nets and teaching him how to sweep and reverse sweep in one session. They need to have the confidence to do it in matching situations. ”
South Africa will lose key players de Kock, Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada after the second ODI when the trio enter the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“We planned for it, India and South Africa have a long-standing agreement to release players for the IPL,” added Boucher.
“The good part of it is that they go there to play in good competition against strong opponents, and get first hand knowledge of the locations in India.”