Finally, the Proteas have some sane leadership at the helm again.
Let me rephrase quickly, the Proteas finally have some sane leadership in the team.
With new Test skipper Dean Elgar taking the reins for the tour for the two five-dayers in the West Indies, South Africa won its first away series since 2018.
And while perhaps, we could have tipped the Proteas to beat the West Indies in Test cricket, our recent struggles have been far from a sound basis to make those assumptions.
What one could definitely not assume, was for the Proteas to have much of a chance in the current T20 series.
In a World Cup year, against the holders, at home, with just four months before the tournament launches in the UAE, the West Indies would have been considered a massive task.
And after a helse pak by eight wickets with five overs to spare on Friday night, the Proteas didn’t look up to it.
But going into last night’s fourth T20 2-1 up, something had changed.
The credit has duly gone to spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and George Linde for their wonderful grit in leading the bowling attack.
However, the captaincy of Temba Bavuma hasn’t been given the praise it deserves.
During the tour to the Caribbean, the commentary hammered on about how SA have often been a regimented side – sticking to the same game plans and being predictable and consistent in their tactics.
It’s not often you hear SA teams praised for surprising their opponents with an ace up the sleeve when things go on the slide.
There was an acknowledgement of that at the weekend.
Step forward Bavuma, who said after the loss: “Obviously disappointed. That’s not the way we wanted to start.
“But it’s a mindset thing, you can’t change your skills in a day or couple of hours.
“Mentally, our tactics have to be more sound.
“We’ll have to come with a better attitude and make sure that we focus on our execution.”
The manne then came with a regte plan and turned the series on its head to almost everyone’s surprise.
It’s often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
It seems the Proteas have taken that to heart, and the head, and are showing that fresh ideas have a place in the setup.
Whatever happened last night, Bavuma and his manne will get the chance to seal the deal and clinch the series tomorrow night. And that should give the Proteas some a helse boost in confidence with the World Cup just around the corner now.
After the completion of the series in the Windies, they go to Ireland for another three ODIs and a trio of T20s, before turning the focus to the World Cup.
The trip to the Emerald Isle should keep them on their toes too, since the ODIs count towards qualification for the next 50-over World Cup and an extra competitive edge is not going to hurt their preparations for October-November.
Finally, it’s important to emphasise just how important it is to have leadership in the setup.
And it makes a huge difference to the team that Bavuma actually wants to take the huge responsibility of taking the nation’s hopes onto his shoulders.
At the time of assuming the role from a niks-lus Quinton de Kock, the ace from Langa said: “Captaining the Proteas has been a dream of mine for many years as those closest to me would know.
“This is one of the greatest honours of my life so far and I am looking forward to picking up where Quinny has left off in leading the team into the new culture that we have developed and continue to work on.”
It is not a stretch of the imagination that being the first black African captain of the Proteas team is a heavy burden to bear. You just have to remember the pressure and reaction of Siya Kolisi’s ascent to the Springbok captaincy and the racial reckoning in the Proteas last year.
Bavuma may not have his first series in the bag, yet, but his ability to identify the problems and have the willingness to find a solution, is already an awesome feather to have in his cap.
No one is expecting the Proteas to win the T20 World Cup in the UAE, but in this format of the game when the balance of play can tilt suddenly, his quickness to adapt his side’s approach could be a huge factor.
And a win in the Windies can only boost his self confidence and that of his team, not to mention the long-suffering Proteas fans.