T20 World Cup: South Africa skipper Bavuma says de Kock controversy was at the back of his mind

Bengaluru, Oct. 30: Following South Africa’s thrilling four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in their T20 World Cup Super 12 match on Saturday, SA skipper Temba Bavuma said he endured 'tense’ moments ahead of the game due to the controversy surrounding Quinton de Kock.

T20 World Cup: SL vs SA, Highlights: Hasaranga’s hattrick in vain as Miller’s cameo guides South Africa to win

The South African side had found themselves in the middle of a controversy after wicketkeeper-batsman de Kock refused to take the knee in their previous game.

Before South Africa's game against West Indies on Tuesday (Oct. 26) after Cricket South Africa (CSA) issued a sudden directive that all the players must take the knee before every match of the ongoing tournament. Senior player de Kock did not wish to comply and chose to pull out of the match but returned for Saturday's game against Sri Lanka after agreeing to perform the gesture in support of the 'Black Lives Matter' (BLM) movement.

After SA pulled off their second win on the trot, at the post-match presentation ceremony skipper Bavuma said, “It's quite hard to put everything that's happened over the last couple of days. There was a bit of it at the back of the mind but we had a job to do and we had to dig deep. I was a bit tense.”

Saturday’s game swung both ways, before David Miller’s cameo saw South Africa clinch their second win on the trot. Talking about the narrow win over Sri Lanka, Bavuma - who top scored for South Africa, said he was confident that Miller would deliver and take SA over the line.

T20 World Cup 2021: Quinton De Kock of SA returns against Sri Lanka, takes the knee

“He (David) hadn't done in a long time for us, credit to him. He's got one of the most beautiful swings, like a golf swing. I took on the responsibility to finish it off and the wicket wasn't an easy one but someone had to take it till the end. The shot was on and I was a bit irritated with myself that I wasn't able to execute,” Bavuma said.

The skipper also lauded man-of-the-match Tabraiz Shamsi, who returned with figures of 3/17 and took two catches. “Shamsi is a big player for us, a weapon, we've seen wrist-spinners are always effective in this format,” stated the SA skipper.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka defended his move to bowl Lahiru Kumara in the final over. Needing 15 off the final over, Miller hammered Kumara with two maximums before Kagiso Rabada found the boundary to finish it off. "It was enough to defend for Lahiru. He was bowling yorkers and he was superb in the practice games which is why I went with him. Credit to South Africa batsmen, they finished really well," Shanaka said.

Shanaka meanwhile had words of praise for opener Pathum Nissanka, who top scored for Sri Lanka with a stellar 57-ball 72. "Nissanka has been classic, he showed in this tournament as well. He's got a bright career and is a real prospect for Sri Lanka ahead. It's really hard for us after this game, next two games we hope to keep our pride,” signed off the Lanka skipper.

(With inputs from PTI)