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Temba Bavuma Warns South Africa Not to Underrate Australia Despite Depleted Bowling Attack
South African captain Temba Bavuma on Monday cautioned his team against underestimating defending champions Australia, even though the Australians will be missing their star pace trio.
The two former Champions Trophy winners will meet for the first time in tournament history in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, each having won their opening match in Group B. Australia, without key bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, chased down a daunting 352-run target to beat England in Lahore on Saturday, setting a new record for the highest-ever chase in the tournament’s history.
Bavuma emphasized Australia’s legacy in ICC events. “Any Australian team that comes together for an ICC event is always one that you don’t take lightly,” he said during a press conference.
Temba Bavuma braces for a tough challenge against Australia in today’s Champions Trophy match. #TembaBavuma #SouthAfrica #Australia #AusVsSA #CT2025 #ChampionsTrophy2025 #SportsInfoCricket pic.twitter.com/Q23vFd7coi
— SportsInfo Cricket (@SportsInfo11983) February 25, 2025
Australia has won the Champions Trophy twice and claimed the ODI World Cup for the sixth time in India two years ago, in addition to their victory in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup.
“They might be without their usual bowling attack, but I think their batters will likely do a little more than usual,” Bavuma added.
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma has kept his cards close to his chest on the availability of key middle-order batter Heinrich Klaasen ahead of their showdown with Australia.#SABCSportCricket https://t.co/U97eEcf8d7
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) February 24, 2025
In their opening match, England set a tournament record with 351-8, but Australia chased the total with the help of Josh Inglis’s maiden ODI century, securing a five-wicket win.
Bavuma hopes his batting side will capitalize on Australia’s inexperience with the ball. “There may be opportunities within their bowling attack, and if that presents itself, we’ll definitely look to make use of that,” he said.
South Africa’s batsmen had an impressive outing against Afghanistan, managing 315-6 in Karachi. Ryan Rickelton scored a maiden ODI century, while Bavuma (58), Aiden Markram (52 not out), and Rassie van der Dussen (52) all contributed. South Africa then restricted Afghanistan to 208, securing an easy win in Group B.
On team updates, Bavuma confirmed that Heinrich Klaasen is still recovering from an elbow injury that kept him out of South Africa’s first match. “We still need to assess Klaasen’s fitness. He’s mainly batting at the moment, and he, along with the medical team, will make a decision accordingly.”
Bavuma is optimistic about South Africa’s prospects of ending their ICC event drought, which dates back to their 1998 Champions Trophy win (then called the ICC Knock-Out tournament).
“We’re quite bullish about our chances,” Bavuma stated. “Despite missing key players in the tri-series, we still gained valuable insights into the conditions. The guys who stepped in have been playing well back home, so their confidence is high, and we’re optimistic about our chances.”
South Africa’s campaign began with a loss in both of their tri-series matches prior to the Champions Trophy, but the team remains confident.
The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, with South Africa facing a tough challenge in Group B alongside Australia. Group A consists of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and New Zealand.
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Sourced: African Insider
