Temba Bavuma played a brilliant innings on Day Three of the ICC Test against Australia. His contributions have helped propel South Africa to the cusp of a storied CRICKET WORLD CUP WIN. After entering the fray at a precarious 73-7, Bavuma exhibited resilience and skill, reaching a commendable 65 not out from 121 balls at stumps. His own efforts, combined with Aiden Markram’s heavy hitting, have seen South Africa race to 213-2. They are now only one match shy of sealing their maiden ICC silverware in almost 30 years.
Bavuma’s ride throughout this innings had already been the storybook stuff of legend. He faced a heavy blow when he injured his hamstring, with only ten minutes until tea. As of that time, he had scored nine runs. Bavuma was in agony and couldn’t even walk properly, but he wouldn’t give up. It was the remarkable determination of his leadership that emerged most profoundly as he prevailed. Later critics claimed he had no ability to run between the wickets, but nonetheless he never stopped finding ways to score. With 20-ton pulls and mega sweeps he was instrumental to his team’s championship run.
Bavuma’s innings featured 11 boundaries, the pick of them a late cut off Mitchell Starc expertly placed between two fielders. Yet his relationship with Markram has blossomed. Together, they’ve now put on a remarkable unbroken stand of 143 runs against one of Australia’s meanest bowling attacks. To that regard, Bavuma’s captaincy has brought balance and conviction to the often undermined South African dressing room.
The drama stepped up a notch when Bavuma received a reprieve. No wonder the Australian captain Steve Smith dropped a screamer of a short delivery from Mitchell Starc, and in trying to control it broke his pinkie finger. This incident only served to increase the tension, as the injured Bavuma hobbled on to make runs and further galvanize his peers.
Bavuma’s performance on and off the field has earned him accolades from all missed, including his players’ association. Ashwell Prince, reflecting on how important this match would be, said, “This would be huge for our country. He made the important point that if we are to achieve success in Test cricket, that must come first. He further stressed the importance of the team learning from their previous white-ball failures. Both in terms of how we want to play Test match cricket and how we want to set ourselves up for the future. We’ve underperformed in other white-ball tournaments already with sides that have been widely regarded as the favorites at various stages. History tells us we’re not done doing it, so we need to kind of knuckle down,” he continued.
As South Africa mourns impending victory, so the Australian bowling attack is subjected to further punishment. The team’s strategy has been scrutinized, with one observer noting, “We tried some new things with the bowling attack, but they were just too good in the end … and both of them were chanceless, so complete credit to them.”
As Australia made its preparations for the final day of play, allrounder Beau Webster looked ahead to a big challenge to come. “In the morning, we’ve got to come back and try and form a plan,” he remarked, suggesting that adjustments will be critical to countering South Africa’s momentum.
