South African captain Temba Bavuma is absent from the ODI squad currently competing against India, with the hosts trailing 0-1 after the first ODI loss in Johannesburg. Despite leading South Africa to the World Cup semi-final, Bavuma’s individual impact in the tournament was limited, scoring 145 runs in 8 matches.
As the full-time all-format skipper, Bavuma opted to skip the ODI series in consultation with Cricket South Africa, focusing on preparation for the upcoming World Test Championship matches starting on December 26 in Centurion.
Former South African opener Herschelle Gibbs indirectly criticized Bavuma’s across-format performances, citing the lack of consistency and inviting criticism for his batting intent.
On X, formerly Twitter, a user compared both Gibbs and Temba Bavuma’s performance and came to a result that Bavuma is better than the former. Replying to the same in a tweet, Gibbs remarked, “Talk to me when he reaches 35 international 100s, until then take a permanent holiday on twitter .. bye now,” which seemingly questioned Bavuma’s batting record.
Bavuma’s averages include 35.26 in 56 Test matches, 44.47 in 38 ODIs, and approximately 20 in 36 T20Is, often playing as captain. In comparison, Gibbs boasts 21 ODI tons and a total of 35 centuries across formats.
Talk to me when he reaches 35 international 100s, until then take a permanent holiday on twitter .. bye now 😂😂
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) December 18, 2023
