'It was tough integrating within the system' - Temba Bavuma speaks about challenges faced early in his career

Published - 07 Jun 2025, 23:08 IST | Updated - 07 Jun 2025, 23:12 IST

Temba Bavuma opened up on his "allegiance" with the Lord's cricket ground right from his younger days. Ahead of the WTC 2025 Final against Australia, the South African skipper recalled his childhood days of playing cricket in his backyard, where one of the streets, which was not tarred well, was called Karachi. He claimed that the other side of the street was called MCG.

The South African batter claimed that his favorite section of the road was the one which was done up nicely and called it the Lord's, thereby claiming he dreamt of playing at the home of cricket from a young age. Bavuma then spoke about the challenges he had early in his career, especially in the system of white culture, where things worked differently.

"There was always some sort of allegiance with the Lord's when we were growing up in Langa. On the right-hand side of the street, the tar wasn't done so nicely, and we used to call it Karachi. The other side was the MCG. But my favourite section was clean and done up nicely, and we called it Lord's because it just looked better. As a kid of 10, I already had that dream of playing at Lord's," said Bavuma as quoted by The Guardian.

"It was tough integrating within the system, learning and understanding the (white) culture. But I had to learn about discipline and etiquette. I also had to learn confidence. Can you imagine taking a child from the township into a system where, basically, everything is there? There were always doubts. Am I good enough to be here?" Bavuma added.

Bavuma recalled when SACS faced Langa, who found it hard to get sufficient food. Bavuma claimed that his getting pushed up the batting order helped him thrive. He felt it helped him understand his game better and added that he did not have to play like anyone else.

"My friends from Langa would have huge plates at lunch. We'd laugh about it, but… the Langa boy would be wondering when he is going to get another opportunity to eat food like that? The added responsibility, getting pushed up the order, is something I thrived on. Most of all, I just understand my game and I don't try playing like anyone else," Bavuma added.