Temba Bavuma on Australia’s sledgeing: The Australian cricket team has often been involved in controversies because they have repeatedly gone too far while trying to distract or upset players from the other team.
Australia’s Controversial Tactics in the WTC Final
Although the current team, led by Pat Cummins, is known to be different, they still crossed a line during the World Test Championship final against South Africa. When the South African team was getting closer to winning on Day 4 at Lord’s, the Australians reportedly used the hurtful word “choke” to try to disturb Temba Bavuma and his teammates.
Temba Bavuma Reveals the Impact of Sledging
Australia appeared to try every possible tactic to break the partnership between Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram. After South Africa won the WTC final, Bavuma said that while he was batting, he could hear words like “choke” being said to him.
“While we were batting, we could hear the Aussies using that dreaded word: choke,” said Bavuma on BBC Test Match Special. “We came in with a lot of belief and a lot of doubters. We got ourselves into the final, and there were doubters as to the route we took. This win squashes that. Here’s an opportunity for us as a nation, divided as we are, to unite.”
“As a country, it’s a chance for us to rejoice in something, to forget about our issues and really come together. I hope it inspires and continues to inspire our country. For this group of players, there were a lot of doubters but the way we played would have wiped all of that out,” the South Africa skipper added.
South African spinner Keshav Maharaj also talked about the “chokers” label that South Africa has had for a long time. He hopes that now, this word will be a thing of the past.
“It’ll be great not to have to hear that again. To have got the job done and to get rid of that is quite a big thing for this team. All the questions that have been asked in the past have now been answered,” concluded the sole centurion of the match.
Australia captain Pat Cummins said his team might need to make some changes as they try to come back stronger. He said:
“We’ve obviously got a team here that got us to the final so it’s about when do we feel it’s the right time to change,” Cummins, said.
“After this Test match, everyone is thrown back into the conversation so it’s a bit of a reset. It’s probably more for me and the selectors to sit down and map it out.”
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