Proteas captain Temba Bavuma wants his limited -overs team to dominate on all surfaces across the world.
With the 2023 World Cup in India in mind, Bavuma kicks off his journey as leader of the South Africa ODI team in the first of three 50-over matches against Pakistan at Centurion Park on Friday.
Asked what his approach to captaincy will be as they look to end South Africa’s trophy drought on the world stage in two years’ time, Bavuma says: “We have the opportunity now building up to 2023 to the World Cup to really define our style of play and how we want to go about our business.
“We’ve had fruitful chats in the team.
“Personally, it’s to enjoy this journey – this new chapter in my book.”
Pushed on the matter, he adds: “We are trying to find that style of play, and create something that makes us accountable to something and most importantly be able to execute that style of play in any conditions or under any circumstances.
“For me that is where my thinking is.
“Mentally is somewhere we need to improve a lot more, in terms of getting stronger.”
He says of playing at Centurion Park on Friday: “I played in Durban in T20 Challenge and the conditions probably didn’t really favour an aggressive brand of cricket that we’ve been speaking highly of.
“We are back in the Highveld now and we are looking at our batters – we are kind of suited to those conditions.
“[But] we’d like to be in a position where we feel that we can be aggressive and dominating in all kinds of conditions.
“In the longer run, we want to test ourselves a lot more in unfavourable conditions and execute our brand of cricket.”
The 30-year-old Bavuma, who took over the captaincy from wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, says: “I’m excited to lead the team – it goes without saying.
“I’m hoping that I can do my best and add value to the team.”