S Africa captain Bavuma happy to discuss Miller role in T20 side
Cricket
S Africa captain Bavuma happy to discuss Miller role in T20 side
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa captain Temba Bavuma is open to talking with David Miller about batting higher up the order in Twenty20s as the team prepares for a five-match tour of India starting in June.
Miller has failed to impress for South Africa in white ball cricket in the last few years, but had an outstanding Indian Premier League season with champions Gujarat Titans in a stunning reversal of form.
He batted mostly at number five, as opposed to his usual six with South Africa, where he scored 481 with the best average in the competition of 68.71 at a strike rate of 143.
"He has performed exceedingly well in IPL. Whatever feelings of insecurity he had are gone now," Bavuma told reporters on Tuesday.
"We will have a conversation. He is an important member of the team. If he feels he can add more value higher up the order, it is a conversation to have."
South Africa will want to settle their batting order in this series with the T20 World Cup in Australia to follow in October.
"The important thing is to prepare for the World Cup," Bavuma says. "The guys need to be in a competitive space. And the India series will be an important part of the competitive process, even if the conditions will be different in Australia."
Bavuma added that as much they want to win the series, there will be an element of rotation to manage the burden.
"We haven’t got together as a team but the rest of the (non-IPL players) have had good sessions. We will arrive a bit early to get familiarised.
"With multiple formats (this season), it will be important to manage the workload, especially the bowlers."
The series gets under way in Delhi on June 9 and finishes in Bangaluru 10 days later.
