Mackay [Australia], August 25 : Captain Temba Bavuma declared that the South Africa team is "quite far" from where they strive to be for the home 2027 ODI World Cup but have enough time to reach that position.

After orchestrating its fifth ODI bilateral series win on the trot against Australia, South Africa slumped to a 276-run defeat, a record margin in the final contest of the three-match series.

Despite the blend of success and setbacks, the Proteas see themselves as a team in transition. With new faces being infused into the team, South Africa is going through an "exploration phase" two years before the World Cup.

"You're seeing new faces in the team, and that's all part of us being in that exploration phase. We're getting to understand guys, what roles they can fulfil within the team and what they bring in from a personality point of view. We have time. There are two years left, and we're definitely not close to where we want to be as a team," Bavuma said after the third ODI in Mackay, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

"As much as we won the series, we felt that we weren't anywhere near our best. So I guess that's exciting as well, to see us when we start playing close to 100 per cent," he added.

South Africa handed two new caps to Dewald Brevis and Prenelan Subrayen in the Australia ODIs but tried different combinations in the batting order. Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton were established as the opening pair, while Bavuma dropped down to number three.

They tried out four different batters for three middle-order roles and tested specialist bowlers and a combination of all-rounders. Markram and Rickelton stitched up a 92-run stand, their highest in the three fixtures, but fell for 2 and 11 on the remaining two occasions.

Matthew Breetzke remained the standout performer despite being shifted to the middle order. After hammering two swift half-centuries, he was rested for the third ODI due to a hamstring concern.

Tony de Zorzi showed glimpses of brilliance but threw away his wicket cheaply. Brevis continued to flaunt his power-hitting muscle and dealt with boundaries but holed out in three innings.

Even after a mixed bag of results, Brevis remains the cream of that crop, and Bavuma, along with his troops, is relishing the talent that the 22-year-old holds in his arsenal.

"It's refreshing watching him kind of go about his business. He's not fazed by anything. What's also quite refreshing is seeing his reaction when he does go out. For him, it's all about, he should have hit the ball harder. Maybe the more experienced guys will be thinking, was that a good decision or not?" Bavuma said.

"But there's an exuberance of youth from him," Bavuma said. "The longer he plays, the more he'll start getting a little bit more batsmanship in his game, especially in the longer formats. For now, it's entertaining for not just the fans, but for us within the team as well," he added.

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