Temba Bavuma admits ‘jealousy’ after Ashes thriller — Here’s why

Temba Bavuma admits ‘jealousy’ after Ashes thriller (PTI Photo)

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma voiced his dissatisfaction with the current two-Test series against India on Friday, drawing comparisons to the five-match Ashes between Australia and England. Bavuma, who led Proteas to the World Test Championship (WTC) title, questioned why South Africa are given so few Test matches despite their impressive results in the traditional format.

The disparity in the length of Test series is connected directly to the financial capability of cricket nations. Five-match series like the Ashes, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy are commercially viable, while other nations normally receive two-Test series against India.

"We woke up this morning to watch the Ashes. We watched with a bit of jealousy, knowing that they were playing five Tests. They'll be going at each other," Bavuma said.

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The South Africa captain hopes to play longer series against India in the future. "Hopefully, not too far in the future, but more in the near future, we'll go back to play four Tests against India."

According to Bavuma, players have little control over scheduling choices. "Players are not involved when it comes to mapping out the schedule. I think every of our players who have had the opportunity to interact with the media, have had that question in front of them. They have voiced out their frustration."

Compared to longer series forms, two-Test series enhance the probability of drawing outcomes. "Look, however way the series goes, 1-1, 2-0, it would be nice for a three-Test series against a formidable team like India. And it's just good for the fans really, when people get to see good cricket, one team dominating, another team dominating. But there also being an opportunity for one team to come out as victors," Bavuma explained.

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The Proteas skipper thinks that lengthy series opportunities in future may result from sustained great performance. "Like I've already said, as players, all we can do is what we've been trying to do out on the field, keep playing good cricket. That will attract the top nations and other nations to play a lot more cricket."

India’s trend of playing only two-Test series is now mirrored by other nations such as New Zealand, West Indies, and Bangladesh.