Bavuma and Co. looking to carry some momentum agains Sri Lanka

South Africa arrived in Durban yesterday and are scheduled to have their first training session today at Kingsmead Stadium ahead of next week's first test match against Sri Lanka.

The squad got together for a two-day camp at the Centre of Excellence in Tshwane earlier this week where they polished their skills ahead of the all-important series.

Speaking to the media in Tshwane on Friday, Bavuma highlighted the high level of confidence within the squad, particularly the less experienced players, the ones who carried the team to a 2-0 series sweep in Bangladesh last month.

“Very positive from the guys. Obviously, the confidence has grown looking at our performance in the Bangladesh series, less experienced guys who stepped up and put in match-winning performances for the team,” Bavuma told the media.

“So, from the belief point of view, that's definitely grown within the team. There’s a lot of excitement, we're playing at home during the festive time so playing with our home fans hopefully the stadiums will have a little bit more people than we are accustomed to and us putting in good performances.

“So, from a confidence and belief point of view, it's been good to see and as a team, we’ll ride that for as long as it lives within us.”

Coach Shukri Conrad’s men have momentum on their side having been unbeaten in two series this summer following their series victory over West Indies in August and Bangladesh last month.

Despite the impressive form and record of the team, Bavuma admitted that they were not at their best in the West Indies, especially the batters and that they would like to tighten up their skills as a group this month.

Most importantly, the squad is heading into the Sri Lanka series looking to further focus on establishing their playing style and philosophy as a young and developing team.

“We've played good cricket from West Indies from the first Test to the last Test in Bangladesh,” said Bavuma.

“If you look at the way we played in the West Indies, there was a little bit of softness in our skill, especially from a batting point of view. Then in Bangladesh, the guys that got in went on to perform and scored match-winning performances.

“I guess it’s more of the same to be honest whether it's batting or it’s bowling, if the opportunity is there just make sure you do it for the team. And for us to continue with our style and philosophy of play.

“I think that’s probably what will make us focused as a team and we’d like to stay true to that as much as we can.”