Vernon Philander praises Temba Bavuma as an 'exceptional leader'
What's the story
Former South African pacer Vernon Philander has backed Temba Bavuma's ODI captaincy lauding his leadership skills.
Despite the team's recent defeat in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against New Zealand, Philander believes that Bavuma has done an excellent job as captain.
He praised Bavuma's performance over the past two years and how he won over the changing room.
"I think he's a fantastic leader," Verlander stated on the ESPNcricinfo's Match Day show.
Here's more.
Praises
Philander lauds Bavuma's contributions to South African cricket
Philander lauded Bavuma's record in ODI cricket, calling him a "wonderful player for South Africa."
"But if you look at his numbers, you look at his records in ODI cricket, I think he has been a wonderful player for South Africa. I think he has led from the front with the bat," he lauded Bavuma.
"But I would not make a call too early. It's still in the early days," Philander further suggested.
Strategy
Philander calls for a reassessment of SA's ICC tournament approach
Philander urged Cricket South Africa to rethink their approach and preparation for ICC tournaments.
"And that starts from the top - from your coaches, from your video analysis: 'What's going to make my players more effective?' and then you give the charge over to the captain and say 'off you go," he stressed.
"I just think a lot more planning that needs to be taking place heading into these tournaments," he further added.
Spin strategy
Philander advocates for earlier spin introduction in matches
Philander hinted that bringing in spin earlier could have aided in curbing New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra, who attacked South Africa's pacers aggressively.
He stressed the importance of being flexible with plans according to conditions, particularly in subcontinental scenarios.
Philander's remarks come after South Africa's loss in two back-to-back ICC events knockout stages in the last two years.
They lost the 2023 World Cup semi-final against Australia and lost the 2024 T20 World Cup final against India.
Numbers
A look at Bavuma's ODI numbers
After his fighting fifty against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy semi-final, the skipper has now raced to 1,847 ODI runs across 48 ODIs.
He averages 43.97 across 47 innings with a strike rate of 87.74. Bavuma also boasts five tons and seven fifties.
According to ESPNcricinfo, he has also scored 1,512 runs as captain at an average of 42 across 42 ODIs.
Notably, he also is the first Black African to permanently captain the South African cricket team