Bavuma shows no rust in warm-up match against Zimbabwe

22 December 2017 - 10:16 By Telford Vice
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Temba Bavuma.
Temba Bavuma.
Image: MARCO LONGARI / AFP

Temba Bavuma hasn’t played a first-class match since October‚ but he showed no rust in the South Africa Invitation XI’s day/night tour match against Zimbabwe in Paarl.

Bavuma was 36 not out at stumps on Wednesday and dismissed for 70 on Thursday.

Unusually for the conservative batsman‚ he scored his runs briskly off 77 balls and hit seven fours.

That should stand him in good stead for South Africa’s four-day‚ day/night test against Zimbabwe at St George’s Park on Tuesday.

The visitors crashed to 120/7 at the close on Thursday‚ which means they are a marginal 29 runs ahead going into the Friday’s play‚ which starts at 3.30pm.

The Invitation XI‚ who dismissed the Zimbabweans for 196 in the first innings‚ resumed on 60/3 on Thursday and batted on for 56 overs before they were bowled out for 287.

Bavuma had help from Eastern Province’s Tladi Bokako‚ who came in as nightwatchman and scored 41 in a fourth-wicket stand of 81.

Bokako and Bavuma were dismissed five balls apart‚ and the home side lost four more wickets for 61 runs before Dayyaan Galiem and Shaun von Berg put on 90 for the last wicket.

Galiem‚ who was a late replacement for the injured Chris Morris‚ scored 57 and Von Berg made 24 not out.

South Africa’s test batsmen will have taken note that Zimbabwe’s best bowler with the pink ball was leg spinner Graeme Cremer‚ who took 4/67.

Zimbabwe’s second innings was on the skids from the second delivery‚ when the experienced Hamilton Masakadza offered no stroke to Lizaad Williams and was bowled.

Craig Ervine’s 34 was the visitors’ only effort above 30.

Ervine was another victim of Williams‚ who took 3/27.


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