'Karachi, MCG and London': Temba Bavuma harboured dreams of playing at Lord's as youngster; to lead Proteas in WTC Final

South Africa Test captain Temba Bavuma, the first Black cricketer to lead his country in Test cricket, shared his journey from playing cricket in the streets of Langa to leading his team at Lord's in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final against Australia on June 11.

South Africa last faced Australia in a Test series in 2022-23, where Australia won 2-0.Bavuma, now 35, recalled his childhood connection to Lord's cricket ground, drawing parallels between the streets of his hometown and famous cricket venues.

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"There was always some sort of allegiance with 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," Bavuma told The Guardian.His journey included earning a scholarship to SACS, where he faced challenges adapting to a predominantly white institution."It was tough integrating within the system, learning and understanding the (white) culture," he said of his time at SACS. "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 remembered the stark differences when SACS played against Langa. "My friends from Langa would have huge plates at lunch. We'd laugh about it but… the Langa boy would be wondering when is he going to get another opportunity to eat food like that?"His cricket career progressed after moving to Johannesburg and attending St David's, which has since named its cricket ground after him.

Bavuma achieved a significant milestone in 2016 by becoming the first Black South African to score a Test century. His second century came in 2023 after becoming Test captain.Quiz: Who's that IPL player?"The added responsibility, getting pushed up the order, is something I thrived on," Bavuma said. "Most of all, I just understand my game and I don't try playing like anyone else."Under his leadership, South Africa secured their place in the World Test Championship final by winning seven consecutive Tests, despite challenges including scheduling inequality, player unavailability, and funding constraints.The ICC World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia is scheduled to begin on June 11 at Lord's Cricket Ground.