South Africa captain Temba Bavuma believes difficult situations extract his finest performances after producing a career-best 179 to turn the tide in the second Test against Australia at St George’s Park on Tuesday (October 20). As South Africa’s firefighter-in-chief, he has been here and done that often, perhaps because.
Although his marathon innings spanned three days from Sunday to Tuesday, significant weather delays meant rain and a wet outfield eliminated 137 overs across the opening two days. In total, Bavuma occupied the crease for over nine hours, facing 334 deliveries while hitting 18 boundaries and a six during his fifth Test century. His fifth Test century, so it’s better to think in terms of hours: Bavuma batted for more than nine of them and faced 334 balls and hit 18 fours and a six for his career-best 179. “If we’re going to get on the right side of the result we’re going to have to spend the majority of those two days in the field,” Bavuma said. “Mentally for us we need to prepare for that overnight. But once the ball got a bit soft you did feel a little bit more comfortable.”. There are two days left in the match but the first innings have yet to be completed. Especially with that new ball, there’s still something in the pitch. “If we can get the ball in the right place for a considerable amount of time anything can happen. We want to go for the win and we’ll do as much as we can to bring that to life.”.
When the skipper took guard, the Proteas were reeling at 12 for 2 under challenging conditions. “Everything was in the bowlers’ favour [when he came to the crease]; the overheads, the pitch,” Bavuma stated during a press conference. “We had lost two early wickets.”
Addressing his history of rescuing the side from precarious positions, Bavuma explained that his overall approach remained unchanged despite the pressure. “I’ve found myself in those situations a number of times. It seems to bring out the best in me,” he noted, adding that while he prides himself on placing the team in competitive standing, this occasion was personally satisfying because he managed to convert his start into a major score. From an approach point of view it wasn’t any different. I’ve always gone about it like that – got myself stuck in. For me nothing really changed, from a mindset point of view.
South Africa’s recovery from early slumps of 12 for 2 and 97 for 5 was heavily bolstered by lower-order partnerships. Bavuma put on 132 runs with Marco Jansen and established a South African eighth-wicket record stand of 183 alongside Simon Harmer.
Praising his batting partners, Bavuma remarked, “Marco took the bowlers on. He was able to find the middle of the bat and the gaps in the field. Simon applied himself. They put a high price on their wickets.” Bavuma disagreed: “I wouldn’t say it was easier to bat.
Dismissing suggestions that batting conditions eased significantly on Tuesday, Bavuma clarified that he never truly felt set due to variable bounce and seam movement. He explained that his strategy relied on remaining tight, hitting straight, and extending that disciplined gameplan for as long as possible until the softer ball offered slight comfort. Every now and then a ball would of jump off a length or nip around.
The Proteas eventually declared at 425 for 9, before Australia reached 3 for 1 across four overs in their response prior to a bad-light stoppage. Having lost the opening Test at Kingsmead by 214 runs last Tuesday, South Africa now look to push for a series-levelling victory across the final two days, aware that heavy bowling workloads lie ahead.
