You have to trust yourself, even when things don’t look good - Temba Bavuma
Cricketer Temba Bavuma talks about how he navigates the difficulties of being an elite athlete.
Temba Bavuma On The Upside Of Failure. Picture: Karabo Tebele/702
Relebogile Mabotja speaks with South African international cricketer, Temba Bavuma on the 'Upside of Failure'.
Listen to the interview in the audio below.
Temba Bavuma made his debut for the Proteas in 2014 and made history in 2016 when he became the first black South African cricketer to score a Test century for the squad.
He was also the first black African player to be appointed as the permanent captain of the national team.
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Despite some historic achievements, he has faced some criticism in the cricket world and from the media.
As a sportsman, Bavuma says one of the greatest challenges is navigating the media spaces, including social media, and says you can’t personalise all the opinions.
“Sometimes the opinions are just more a reflection of them and where they are.”
- Temba Bavuma, South African cricketer
However, he is human and when he does happen to come across harsh criticism, he says you must allow yourself to feel the emotions before you pick yourself up and move on.
“Ride those waves of success and failure. It allows the journey to be a lot more enjoyable.”
- Temba Bavuma, South African cricketer
“You have to trust in yourself, even when things don’t look good.”
- Temba Bavuma, South African cricketer
As an elite athlete, he says there is enormous pressure to perform, and you need to take things in your stride.
“There are always certain demons that you are dealing with within your head. It could be internal stuff, it could be external stuff that is being thrown around in the media.”
- Temba Bavuma, South African cricketer
“You just have to be courageous. You have to be brave enough to wake up and stick to your dreams and goals, irrespective of what is happening around you.”
- Temba Bavuma, South African cricketer
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.