Proteas almost certain of WTC final team - Temba Bavuma

Bavuma and his team left for London on Friday on a mission to win the all-important match and lift a senior ICC trophy for the first time since readmission in 1992. 

With a four-day preparation match against Zimbabwe starting on Tuesday, the skipper says himself coach Shrukri Conrad have already discussed the make-up of the team, with small tweaks to be informed by weather and pitch conditions on the day.

"To be honest with you, it's quite clear from myself and Shukri as to what we want to do – I think Shukri's already said that [Ryan] Rickleton will be in, in terms of opening [the batting]," said Bvuma.

"Probably one conversation we need to have is whether we're going with the extra specialist batter or the extra all-rounder, but I think the make-up of the team, largely we kind of know.

"The warm-up game is not a trial game, we're definitely not going to use it like that, but I think the conditions is probably the biggest thing that will influence those one or two spots – what the pitch looks like because it's obviously in England.

"So the four-day game is not a trial, we have a 90-95 per cent conviction as to our starting 11."

The Proteas have not played red-ball cricket since January, against Pakistan, and Bavuma says the Zimbabweans will help with whatever rust the players might have.

"The last time we played was in January, just after the New Year's Test, so I think a lot of it is about dusting off those cobwebs and for bowlers to get time on their feet and overs under their belts," he added.

"For the batters as well to spend time at the crease, and kind of just get used to the Test match processes, and a lot of it is physical with  a little bit mental.

"But I think it's also an opportunity just to remind ourselves of what our philosophy and what our best way of playing is."

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