SOUTH Africa skipper Temba Bavuma has hit back after a viral picture apparently caught him napping at the ICC World Cup 2023. 

The viral photo showed Bavuma with his eyes closed and slumped on a chair during the Captains’ Day event. 

Soon after the picture started to trend, fans on X, formerly called Twitter, started to believe the South African skipper was sleeping on stage.

The player then came out to clear the air, and blamed a misleading camera angle. 

Replying to the viral picture, the captain wrote: “I blame the camera angle, I was not asleep.”

Despite Bavuma’s denial, a wide group of fans remained unconvinced – and several of them continued to affirm he appeared to be in a “relaxed” state during the captain’s meet. 

The picture created a lot of memes – and fans from the world of cricket took several comical digs at the skipper. 

However, this is not the first time Bavuma broke the internet with a funny incident. 

During a three-match test series against India in December 2021, Bavuma sparked hilarious memes when he batted alongside Marco Jansen. 

The pair had a 16-inch height difference and it made a comical viewing as they came together between the wickets. 

Bavuma, the vice-captain then, was patiently trying to play out for a draw during the first game.  

But as his team-mates fell, 5ft 4in Bavuma was joined in the middle by debutant Marco Jansen who stands at a whopping 6ft 8in. 

TV camera operators struggled to even get them in the same shot when they chatted at the end of overs.

Fans were left in stitches after seeing the massive 16-inch height difference between the two batsmen. 

One fan wrote: “Bavuma Jansen together in one frame,” followed by a series of crying emojis.

A second said: “How will Bavuma and Jansen hug each other if they pull off a win for SA here?”

Temba Bavuma is now set to captain the Proteas for the first time in an ICC ODI World Cup. 

South Africa will commence their 2023 World Cup campaign playing against Sri Lanka on Sunday, October 7.