The misfortune of cricket's most trolled personality at present

The world of sports is cruel. One who perforns, earns the prestigious labels of an 'up-and-coming talent' or an 'evergreen legend.' One that does not, however, gets infinitely trolled on the internet. Critiques who don't understand the sport enough are quick to pass a judgement on what improvements could've been brought in the playing style or approach of an underperforming player. Or worse, pass a judgement on a certain sportsman's caliber. The same can be seen happening with Temba Bavuma, the current captain of the South African cricket team. Temba Bavuma is consistently ridiculed for the lack of impactful performances he has delivered with the bat. Fans from around the world consider him to be a liability on his own team. Some consider him to be a product of the recently implemented reservation system by the South African cricket board, based on the player's ethnicity or skin color. His social media handle has seen fans insult him for his poor performances, and ask him to step down from the captaincy position.

A lot of arguments can be put forth in his defense. Firstly, is the existence of a reservation system justified? One can object that it has chances of impacting the team's overall performance, since not each of the 11 players is chosen as per their merit. But that debate doesn't hold up considering the team's feats in the ongoing edition of the world cup. The likes of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi have delivered efficiently despite sharing a black ethnicity. The political situation in South Africa with regards to race has been very sensitive, right from the time of apartheid. For more than two decades after making its return to international cricket in 1991, the team featured one black member and that was Makhaya Ntini. The revered pacer opened up about facing loneliness among his team mates, and their unwillingness to include him in their plans. It's hard to believe that a person like Ntini, who never once claimed an illegitimate catch on the field, or violated the spirit of sportsmanship, could fabricate stories at the expense of his teammate's reputation. 

Still, whether or not one approves of the racial segregation in sports has little to do with Temba Bavuma's abilities on the field. In order to decode the myths surrounding his terrible performances, it is important to refer to statistics. Temba Bavuma has an average of nearly 50 in just 35 ODI matches, which is reputable. His test match average of 35 may not be the best, but it is far from bad. He became the first black cricketer from his nation to score a century. Yes, his performances have been poor in the T20 format. However, veteran cricketers like Michael Holding have opposed the shorter format and claimed that it cannot be used to evaluate a certain player's potential. He's also an excellent fielder with commendable agility and a safe pair of hands, despite his short reach. But the most notable aspect of his cricketing career is his captaincy. Possessing a great understanding of the game, Temba Bavuma is adept when it comes to field placement and utilising his bowling options effectively.

So why is such an able captain and fielder who has also delivered enough with the bat to retain his spot in the team, subjected to such cruel mockery? Is it just ignorance and lack of knowledge, or is there more to it? Temba Bavuma has one more trait to him, that has been more of a curse than a blessing: His unconventional appearance. Standing at 5"3, not only is Bavuma extremely short in comparison to his peers but also are his buttocks (and I don't mean to associate humorous connotations to the word) abnormally huge. I remember this one vivid comment from a fan that said the reason for Bavuma's stunted growth was the rest of his bodily mass being contained elsewhere. To make matters worse, he began suffering from hair loss and hence prefers having his head shaved. A compilation of these unfortunate and uncontrollable aspects or circumstances has led to him being percieved as clumsy and having no credibility.

But the question is, is it nature that has really been unkind to Temba Bavuma, or is it us? While the physical aspects of his appearance are not controllable, the way we choose to receive it most definitely is. It is important to understand that these meme pages are a direct reflection of us and our psychology, because at the end of the day, the content that is created is designed to appeal to us. It is because we enjoy seeing someone else be ridiculed, because we derive a vile and shrewd pleasure at the expense of someone else's integrity and self confidence, that such pages operate in the first place. If anyone's being exposed, it's us. And that speaks for the level of low that we as human beings have dipped to.

This theory extends beyond Temba Bavuma or cricket in general. At your workplace, there's a good chance that your colleague is foul-mouthing you for the way you look or dress. Or maybe, you're being giggled at for fumbling during a presentation. Perhaps you aren't achieving the results that your colleagues are, or you're viewed as the weak link in your organization. You could be having your potential judged by someone that is unaware of the amount of hours you've invested in bettering yourself. You could be subject to comparisons. You're conscious about being doubted at every step you take, and every decision you make. When the team aces a project, they've carried you through it. And if at all they mess up, it's because you held them back. 

The truth is, you and I are no different from Temba Bavuma, despite our treatment of him as a comic relief. The comparison might seem distasteful, but it's not too far from the truth. Ask yourself these honest questions. Are you the best at what you do? Are you loved and respected by all your peers and mentors? Are you physically attractive to others? Does success naturally find it's way to you, and are you rarely a failure or a disappointment? It's important to evaluate our own selves before we denigrate another human being. Not because it's cruel and inconsiderate, but because we could be in the same shoes without realising it. 

I hope Temba Bavuma is able to deliver when it matters, not because I like him. But because I have a heart. And everytime I see his face shrink in a press conference when asked about his form, I want him to go out there and prove himself. To those who don't understand cricket, and those that are quick to mock, all while having a status on their social media profile that reads 'Only God can judge.'