Pat Cummins & Temba Bavuma speak ahead of Australia v South Africa

Pat Cummins & Temba Bavuma speak ahead of Australia v South Africa semi final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

[Reporter:]

Welcome to Eden Gardens. It is one of the luckiest grounds you are playing here. Your Alan Border won here. So that team had consistency in the opening pairs. Jeff Marsh and David Boone, they were more consistent. But in this team, the consistency is lacking. Warner has played, I think, as an opener he played, but you have permuted it and there is a permutation combination in terms of opening pair. What would you say about this pair, opening pair, which is very important for a 50-over match?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, I mean, I think we've got a great opening pair in Travis (Head) and Davey (David Warner). Trav obviously missed the first half of the tournament due to injury, but in that New Zealand match, you saw the way they took the game away from them in basically the first 10 overs. That's how we want to play. Mitch Marsh, I think, showed last time as well what he can do at the top of the order, albeit at number three. So, yeah, really, really pumped with how the batting lineups functioning at the moment.

[Reporter:]

Tell me how important is it - South Africa beating you in the league stage, but they have a very poor record against you in the semi-finals. So how does all these things count and it's a slow wicket, it's a different kind of wicket so pace bowling - how are you going to tackle all that?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, I don't think it counts for too much. You know, obviously you start from scratch every time you play. They're a team we've played quite a lot and know quite well. But as you said, this week it's probably going to be quite different to say the South African series that we just played against them a couple of months ago.

So, I think what helps us is we've got a lot of guys that have been in this situation before that have won one day World Cup, T20 World Cup, various other tournaments in big moments. So, I think that really helps. You can draw on that in the middle of the contest. In terms of the wicket, it does look like it's probably going to spin a bit more than some of the other wickets. Which again, is the same for both teams. It might just be a slightly different pace game, but I think it's still pretty evenly matched.

[Reporter:]

South Africa have had some great sides and never played in a World Cup final. So how do you think that sort of legacy or history will weigh on them in a big game like this?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, hard to say. Again, we feel lucky that we've been in these situations quite a bit, a lot of our players. So, you know what it takes, but also, you're not really weighed down by history. You get more excited about the challenge and just get stuck into what needs to be done. So, yeah, hard to speak on their behalf, but I do know each World Cup, it does seem to be the story that South Africa haven't quite achieved, obviously, what they set out to do.

[Reporter:]

Given the way you started the World Cup, does that put you, even though it's a fresh start, knock out the centre, does that give you the momentum against a team which played here and lost pretty badly?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, it's hard to say. I think we've come a long way since the start of the tournament. The first two games were two tough teams to come up against. And with the bowling, I think we've just got better and better in all phases. So yeah, it feels like we're really well placed. We've obviously played a lot of cricket over the last month and it just feels like everyone knows their role and it's starting to click.

[Reporter:]

Just going back to the mental side of things, I just wondered if you could elaborate a little bit more. I mean, a lot of players in your side of T20 have been T20 World Cup champions, some from that 2015 campaign as well. How does that affect the way that you approach a big game like this? Is there an ease? Have you talked about what you've done in the past and what you need to do this time. Could you just talk a little bit more about that?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, I think there's a couple of different ways you can go about it. You can either build it up as the most important game of your life, or you can business as usual, really. And I think with experience, I think just keeping it pretty chilled and business as usual for our group seems to be the way to go. So, you draw back on those past wins but you also just draw back on the last few weeks and know that us at our best is good enough. So, you don't need to try and push it too hard. But I think there's a quiet confidence and I think our team plays our best when we've got that.

[Reporter:]

The first ODI World Cup match that you captained - what does it mean for you as a captain? Is there anything you could be using to give you the win?

[Pat Cummins:]

We've played nine matches in the last six weeks, so lots of lessons along the way there. I'll be drawing on that. There's been some games that were pretty chilled. There's been some that have been pretty tight at the end. I think that sets us up well for this one. And yeah, I do my normal planning, get my head around what tomorrow's going to look like on, say, that kind of wicket, which might spin. But yeah, I don't think you see anything too different.

[Reporter:]

How much have you guys been looking at the forecast and suggestions of a cyclone or whatever might be coming? And just in terms of that, like, if there was some rain and you went into that reserve day, like it would give you a really tight turnaround between the semi and the final. I mean it's already a tight turnaround, right? Have you thought about all those things?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, I had a bit of a look at the weather. It's always kind of hard to judge. It seems to change a little bit and one website tells you something and another one tells you the opposite. So yeah, I guess it's something to think about but I mean you can't forward plan too much with the weather. So yeah, we'll turn up, expect to play 50 over match tomorrow, any of that shifts on us well - I'm sure in real time we can kind of adjust as needed. Yeah, it feels like it hasn't really rained here for the last couple of months so to see the weather for two days looking like that's not ideal. But in terms of short turnaround, it's fine. We've played lots of ODIs where you're playing on Friday, flying to a different city playing on the Sunday. So, it's not too big of a deal.

[Reporter:]

Just going back to the history between the two teams, how many times have you seen that Australia-South Africa semifinal on television over here? It's on all the time. Those are funny that they don't show the 2007 one, where Australia dominated South Africa and beat them badly. So, I know you're not much of a cricket watcher, but do you have any memories from that? And like I said, how often have you had to see it in the last few years?

[Pat Cummins:]

I mean, yeah, the 99 World Cup one, it's kind of folklore, isn't it? So, I've seen that replay heaps of times, you hear the stories. Yeah, mainly just that last ball and last over, I've seen that heaps of times. But yeah, since I've been playing, I haven't really seen too much. Obviously, 2015, they had a great semifinal against New Zealand, went right down to the wire. But yeah, honest answer, I don't have too many memories.

[Reporter:]

Just on that, do many of your team members remember anything about 1999? Some of the South Africans weren't even born then and they say this is not something that's in our memory bank. Is it in yours?

[Pat Cummins:]

No, not really. None of our players were playing. So yeah, you can't probably draw too many conclusions from that team. But it's part of Australian cricket folklore and history. So, you see the replays. But yeah, obviously none of us were playing in the game.

[Reporter:]

You have been a part of Kolkata Night Riders and Eden Gardens is very familiar to you. So, is it going to give you any extra advantage while preparing strategy for this match? You know the conditions here very well.

[Pat Cummins:]

I've been asked that by a few other boys this week and I feel like I've hardly played here. I think I've played one IPL game here and then obviously the last few years we've been in Dubai or Mumbai or different places for IPL. So, yeah, I'd love to claim that but yeah, I've played here as much as a lot of the other guys, which is mainly Australian ODIs and yeah, the odd IPL game.

[Reporter:]

Just on a personal note, you were in that 2015 World Cup squad but you weren't in the XI, so is there any extra motivation to play in that XI, considering how many of your close mates were in that team?

[Pat Cummins:]

Absolutely. I still say that 2015 World Cup was my career highlight and I wasn't playing but it was just yeah just the most magic moment MCG packed house whole of Australia behind us, winning a World Cup which is rare you only get a chance every four years so - yeah if I'm in the playing 11 we win - yeah that might be that 2015 World Cup.

[Reporter:]

Have you settled on an 11 yet and if so if not, are you leaning one way towards the extra all- rounder or batter?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, we'll announce that at the toss tomorrow so we're pretty sure but yeah, we'll let everyone know tomorrow.

[Reporter:]

And just, I'm not sure if you followed a report from the Daily Mail over the last 24 hours about the pitch in Mumbai. Do you have any concerns about the integrity of the pitches at this tournament and potential Indian control relative to the ICC?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, I saw that. You know obviously ICC have an independent pitch curator who manages that - so I'm sure they're all over making sure it's fair for both teams. So, yeah, so far this tournament that we've played on, I haven't seen any issues.

[Reporter:]

Just back to the playing XI, so Marnus walking around with keeping gloves on, we don't need to read too much into that. He won't be keeping wickets in the semifinal, for example.

[Pat Cummins:]

He won't be keeping wickets. We've got two very accomplished wicket keepers here on tour. Now, I did say to him after training yesterday, because I saw him bowl off spin, leg spin, short fielding catching, outfield catching, batting, hitting fielding hits and then batting in the nets against spin, pacers. I was like what have we, you forgot to do bowling, fast bowling today, what's happened? So, he'll probably be down here later bowing, fast bowing.

[Reporter:]

Can you talk us through about the two likely scenarios with selection? Like you just said before, the pitch might turn a bit, so it might be a bit harder work. Is that a case where you might lean towards the extra batter rather than the extra all-rounder? I mean, what are the two scenarios that you guys are working through to make that sort of decision on that final place?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, I think that's fair. With the all-rounders, someone like a – say Stoin (Marcus Stones) at number seven, that's giving you valuable overs, but then also is a really aggressive finisher to the innings so you're weighing that up against you know maybe a middle order batter if you think the bowling might not come into it as much and maybe the runs are to be had through the middle overs rather than blasting out at the end. So, they're things we've got to weigh up. I don't think there's a wrong or right answer. We've got a class squad of people here that feel like we can step in at any time so yeah, we'll work through that.

[Reporter:]

We just had the news that Maxi had a precautionary scan, can you tell us what that was for and how he's pulled on?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, so Maxi’s (Glen Maxwell) all clear, he's all good. Yeah, just precautionary so still a little bit sore yesterday and yeah, we get scans a lot of the time just to make sure that if there is something there, we know what we're dealing with. And fortunately, he came back all sweet, so he's fine.

[Reporter:]

This is an old conversation that's been revived by Waqar Yunus saying that we shouldn't be using two balls through the innings. Sanath Jayasurya kind of weighed into it and saying pretty much the same thing as Waqar has. As a premium fast bowler, as someone who's used to seeing the ball not reversing much, what's your opinion on this?

[Pat Cummins:]

I mean, anything that favours the bowlers I'm normally in agreement with. I mean, again, it's the same for both teams. I think in some ways over here in India the ball actually deteriorates okay, so sometimes at the end of the innings the scoring isn't as free-flowing as say in Australia or some of these other countries. But there's no doubt you know the ODI cricket nowadays is a million miles away from the ODI cricket from 20 years ago where they used to use one ball and it used to reverse swing the other.

[Reporter:]

Watching Maxwells innings, does it inspire your team?

[Pat Cummins:]

Yeah, for sure. I think any moment like that. You know, same with Mitch Marsh's 170-odd last game. I think in particular Maxwell's knock when we were right up against it, game was over, but still one of the boys stood up to find a way to win. As a team you grow an extra leg because you feel like you can win a match from anywhere and having someone like Maxi in your team is just a complete luxury. He's a superstar, he's a freak, he can win a game from anywhere. Yeah, pretty glad he's in our team.

[Reporter:]

From a captain's point of view, when you look back at the legacy of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, when you see a new-style type of captain, just one step away from the World Cup final?

[Pat Cummins:]

I mean, yeah, pretty awesome. Again, you look back at some of the great Aussie sides and see that they've won World Cup. So probably more from a playing point of view, I'll kind of, yeah that's what drives you to win World Cups. Yeah, to be captain of this side, if we won, I just feel like a huge privilege. Yeah, I've loved it. It's a great bunch of lads and yeah, it'd be pretty cool. I think.

[Reporter:]

It's been quite a few days for you. How's the hamstring and how's just your state of mind?

[Temba Bavuma:]

Physically I feel alright. Obviously not 100%. So obviously this day becomes important in terms of decision about tomorrow. I'm quite confident, but I mean, it's not a unilateral decision that will be made. In a state of mind, obviously a bit nervous of the game. It will be our first semi-final and as a team. But I think the feeling is no different I guess from any game that we've encountered within the World Cup.

[Reporter:]

When you say not 100%, can you just say what it is that maybe doesn't feel a hundred percent I mean we know it's the hamstring but what do you need to do today to feel like to get that tick and to be able to play tomorrow?

[Temba Bavuma:]

I think it's just using the rest day continue with my continue with my rehab - I'll still be continue with my rehab today on the field doing some fielding stuff.

Yeah, I can't tell you medically, but I think for me from a feeling point of view, that's what I can attest to.

[Reporter:]

In terms of state of mind collective, do you have any plans for this evening? Are you going to knock on doors and give everyone a hug or are you just going to leave them to do their own thing and prepare in their own way?

[Temba Bavuma:]

So, most of the guys have opted to take the option with optional training today. So, I think from a skill point of view, from a physical point of view, guys are quite confident from their point of view. We'll have our normal evening team meeting where the team will be announced. I'm sure there'll be conversations that happen there within that meetings around the occasion of tomorrow, but I honestly don't anticipate it to be any different There's a sense of calmness within the team and obviously the normal level of anxiety that you would expect of going into the game tomorrow. But I think we'll take a lot of confidence with our performances up until this point. But yeah, I don't think I'll be going around giving guys hugs.

[Reporter:]

For you personally, obviously we know it's not 100% that you're going to play, but can you just speak from your point of view, what it would mean for you and everything you've gone through in your career to lead South Africa on the field in a World Cup semifinal?

[Temba Bavuma:]

Yeah, it would be massive. I've tried not to really allow myself to get into that space. You obviously want to treat it as just another game. But I guess you're forcing me to acknowledge that occasion. It's obviously something that I'll be looking forward to. It's something that I'll savour in that moment. With that opportunity, I know it will mean a lot for the family and people back home. And obviously it would be nice to be having another press conference with you guys on the on the 18th of November - but yeah try not to get too much into that into all those emotions let's see it as just another game.

[Reporter:]

Just on the composition of your team, the last time you guys played here, you went with the two front-line spinners. Do the conditions suggest that you do the same? And until when will you leave that before making a decision?

[Temba Bavuma:]

Yeah, I mean, I'd love to say, I mean, if it is up to me, I'm definitely playing our two front line spinners. Obviously, Keshav and Shamsi. We obviously have Aiden (Markram) as well, who also gives us an option there. Then I think it's just finalising in terms of the three seamers, who that may be. But I mean, like you say, conditions, opposition as well, really give that as an option for us.

[Reporter:]

I know every semifinal South Africa played in over the years is important. But do you sort of get a sense that this one is also like perhaps one of the more significant ones Symbolically as well you guys have been credited with creating a really good team environment a good team and also given the adversity you guys had to go through you know to affect this turnaround basically in nine months you know is actually really significant so is this like truly symbolically one of the more significant you know semifinals do you believe in South African cricket?

[Temba Bavuma:]

I guess they're all important the semifinals. I think like you say with the way we've performed as a team it's obviously created a lot of positive sentiment but obviously high expectation. A lot of people believe that this could be the year that we see ourselves within the final. And I mean, look as a team, individually we'd like nothing better than that. But we also respect the game of cricket. You know, we're not coming up against a Mickey Mouse team. Australia have a lot of experience and confidence in knockout games like this, so we've got to respect that. I'd hate to say that we deserve to go through because of the way we played our cricket. I don't think that's the way things go. But I think from our performances, from the processes that we've followed to get to this point, we'll continue to lean on that and we believe that will take care of the result in itself.

[Reporter:]

There is a little bit of shade of FIFA World Cup in this ICC World Cup. There was a race for golden ball between Mbappe and Messi and here is a race between Virat Kohli and (Quinton) De Kock. Where would you put these two players in terms of performance?

[Temba Bavuma:]

Look, I mean, Quinton, he's been magnificent for us, obviously being our leading run scorer. I think at one point he was the leading World Cup scorer as well, So I think that speaks volumes in itself. Knowing Quinton, I don't think he's really paying much attention to all of that. I think his focus is really on contributing as best as he can for the team. I guess the stats are always just a reflection of everything the guys do behind the scenes.

Virat Kohli, obviously an incredible player and again he's cemented himself as one of the legends within the game so I'm not sure what is motivating him but obviously it being a home World Cup you know he'd also like to you know bring it back for his people within India and I think with Quinton as well - not sharing too much from his side you know he'd like to really leave with the bank.

[Reporter:]

You said you weren't 100% first of all just wondering if you can put a rough guesstimate on whether it's 70% or 99% where you think you are with that hamstring and also you spoke about feeling a little bit nervous - have the other players spoken to you about Feeling nervous themselves and what have you or the other senior players said to them about how to channel that or how to handle it?

[Temba Bavuma:]

Yeah, I'll start with the last one. There's been an acknowledgement of the emotions. I don't think you can deny or run away with that, but there's also been I guess solutions or mechanisms that have been given as to how to deal with that anxiety if you feel that it overwhelms yourself. And I think that advice also flows to the senior players. I think there's only two guys in this group that have gone into a semi-final, Quinton, and David Miller, so there's not a lot of experience from all the other guys. But yeah, there's been that acknowledgment of those emotions as well as, I guess, solutions and mechanisms.

In terms of from a percentage point of view that I can't really give you, Like I said, today is another day. It's obviously an important day and I will use it as best as I can to make sure that I'm close to my best from a physical point of view.

[Reporter:]

To the obvious privilege of leading your country in a semifinal, which you've spoken about a little while ago, does some way of pressure also sneak in, given the fact that the runs haven't come off your back? And if it does, how do you deal with that, going into what would possibly be a very crucial match for you and the team?

[Temba Bavuma:]

Yeah, I mean, I think I've said this quite a lot, the pressure is always there. I think every player feels pressure whether you're doing well, whether you're not doing well. It comes in different forms. I think for me, it's important that I feel I try to separate the two, being the captain and leader of the team. Make sure that you're doing that as well as you can. Trying to create the calmness and belief within the team going into an occasion like this. And then there's obviously me being the batter, making sure that I'm close to my best.

Yes, I haven't scored the bulk of the runs within the team. Got it in quite a couple of times, haven't converted. So, I guess from that point of view, also knowing that I play a key role with Quinton up top in terms of our partnership, we've been involved in a couple of 50 plus partnerships, so I take a lot of confidence in that.

I guess tomorrow my focus will be a lot on that, making sure that if we're batting first, we make sure we take care of that first 10 overs. And then generally after that, it's about me personally as a batter and if I can be ruthless. So, I mean, the pressure will always be there. I think even if at this point, I was averaging 50 or whatever, I'd still feel pressure. But you have to go out there and deal with it.

[Reporter:]

The Springboks are an inspiration to a lot of South Africans and they recently won their fourth World Cup. I know you guys are also professional cricketers and professional athletes, but do you ever look up to them as an inspiration for what they have done and the mental fortitude they have, sort of get into cricket here?

[Temba Bavuma:]

Yeah, definitely. I think to a large degree we look at them in awe, the Springboks and how they've gone about their back-to-back wins within the World Cup. Obviously, the way they won it this year with the knockout games being quite close and again how that resilience, how that do or die attitude came through. That's what we've been speaking about as a team that when the crunch moment comes, when the pressure moments come, we come together as a team and we find a way to get over the line.

We also accept that it's for us to control what we can control, what our story is within the proteas. We know what we'd like to look like. We want to be there on the 19th of November, but for us to do that we have got to focus and deal with tomorrow as best as we can.

[Reporter:]

One thing is that last time your batters are collapsed against India, especially against Ravindra’s (Jadeja) spin. So that time also the area of concern is spin because yesterday we saw you and your batters are practicing against the spinners more than one hour?

[Temba Bavuma:]

Yeah, I think in terms of looking at the wicket, we feel that it potentially could be a wicket that assists the spinners a lot more. So, I guess naturally, so there will be a focus on our spin play. I don't think there's an insecurity or anything like that within our spin play as a team. We know we've played spin quite well from whatever angle you look at it statistically or whatever. So, I think it's just the guys covering their bases.

Yes, the practice was probably long yesterday, but probably because guys wanted to take time off today and rather mentally refresh. Coming up against Afghanistan, you know that the challenge is going to be the spin. So again, naturally, so guys will spend time polishing up their game plans. Afghanistan, Australia, obviously a different challenge. So yeah, no insecurity I think lies there in terms of our ability to place one.

[Reporter:]

Can you sing – it’s time for Africa, Shakira music?

[Temba Bavuma:]

I'm not sure, I'm not sure.

© ICC