South Africa ready to face Afghan spin challenge: Bavuma

KARACHI: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma expressed confidence in his team’s readiness for their ICC Champions Trophy opener against Afghanistan, set for Friday in Karachi. Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Thursday, Bavuma highlighted the challenges posed by Afghanistan’s spin-heavy attack and the importance of adapting to the conditions at the National Stadium.

South Africa arrived in Pakistan a week ago, giving the team time to adjust to the conditions and play a warm-up game. Bavuma noted that the pitches in Karachi have been batter-friendly, with teams consistently posting scores around 300 in recent matches. However, he stressed the need for his bowlers to remain disciplined to counter the high-scoring trend.

“Our challenge as a bowling unit is to be one of the more disciplined and precise,” Bavuma said. “From a batting point of view, scoreboard pressure is a big thing. Guys need to get in and make sure they go big so we can challenge for those 330–350 type of scores.”

Afghanistan, making their Champions Trophy debut, are expected to pose a significant challenge, particularly with their spinners, who thrive in subcontinental conditions. Bavuma acknowledged Afghanistan’s competitiveness, recalling their victory over South Africa in Sharjah last year.

“They’re a highly competitive team with a lot of experience and international pedigree,” he said. “They won’t be short of confidence coming into this game.” When asked about the pitch conditions, Bavuma said the surface appeared fresher than previous wickets, potentially offering more assistance to seam bowlers. However, he expects Karachi to remain a batting-friendly venue overall.

“From what I hear from the coach, it looks like a fresh wicket, not as dry as the others we’ve seen,” he said. “There might be a bit more assistance for the seamers, but Karachi is generally a good wicket for the batters.”

South Africa’s history in ICC tournaments has been a topic of discussion among fans and pundits, with the team often falling short in knockout stages. Bavuma, however, dismissed any notion of lingering baggage from past disappointments. “There’s no real negativity or baggage among the guys,” he said. “We’re coming into this tournament with a lot of positivity and confidence in our ability to go far.”

The South African skipper emphasized the importance of treating every game as a knockout, given the truncated format of the Champions Trophy. “Our mindset is to make sure we pitch up and play our best game of cricket,” he said. “Hopefully, we’re playing five games and not three in this tournament. Most importantly, we need to win the moments that matter.”