Bavuma praises Proteas’ character after narrow win clinches Lord’s final

Temba Bavuma had shed tears, so did Shukri Conrad, relief, joy and disbelief creating an intoxicating mix for the pair who have walked a long journey together in the past 22 months. 

The next stop will be Lord’s. 

“It’s a bit surreal,” Bavuma said of the outcome, but mostly how that two-wicket win was achieved. 

“Just looking at the guys in the change room, the families, who are with us enjoying the moment, it really shows us what everything means and why we do what we do — not just for the country, but for our families.”

It was a remarkable Test match, far from flawless but forever watchable. There were violent ebbs and flows, periods of rich quality from Aiden Markram and Mohammad Abbas and edge-of-your-seat counterattacks from Corbin Bosch, Saud Shakeel and then in the denouement, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen. 

“Seeing a guy like 'KG' [Rabada] play like that at the end — he wasn't at his best with the ball — but I guess from his side he knew the moment and that the opportunity would be there to do something for the team and he was able to do it.

“Performances like that really speak to what the team is about.”

Bavuma and Conrad know they have to accept the flaws — the batting collapses and the bad spells. This is a Proteas team that is still evolving.

“We’ve got success relatively quickly,” Bavuma said.

That success is a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, an outcome that seemed unlikely when the squad Conrad still refers to as “Burnley going to Anfield”, rocked up in New Zealand in February. 

On social media there was vitriol directed at South African cricket and the ICC for the Test Championship competition — its structure, that there is such a huge discrepancy in matches played by South Africa and other countries like India. That the Proteas’ presence at Lord’s now means one of India and Australia won’t be there is viewed as being detrimental to the occasion.

The Proteas delivered a big fat middle finger to all of it. Yes, the Championship structure is flawed, but the ICC is an organisation that is far from perfect. It has worked harder than anyone else to kill Test cricket, and the only move it’s made to try to save it is this WTC.

At least it has given the players something to work towards. Pakistan, who are also trying to build a new side, knew what was at stake for South Africa and were driven to try to deny them the chance of cementing a spot at Lord’s.

Then there was the audience at SuperSport Park over the four days. The venue was sold out on day 1, with healthy crowds coming through the gates for the remainder of the contest, with Sunday’s conclusion watched by an engaged audience that swung between praying and roaring their approval as their team crept towards the target. 

The World Test Championship created that and it has delivered a revival for Test cricket in South Africa. 

As for the Proteas, Bavuma admitted the journey had been tough. “In terms of talent and character, that outcome speaks a lot. For the guys who’ve been around a bit longer, it’s a lot more sentimental.”

They had to scrap to get the win, Kagiso Rabada said. But in doing so, they are learning more about themselves. They can fail, but it need not be fatal. They know how to fight and, as Conrad remarked, they also don’t know when they are beaten. 

“It’s not ideal, the cricket we’ve been playing, but we are finding a way. It speaks to the talent and character in the group,” Bavuma said. 

“As much as we are in a position where we are in the final, we’ve not been super-dominant with our performances. We definitely have not been clinical or ruthless when the opportunity has called for that.”

They are realists. At SuperSport Park they stared defeat and the demons of South Africa’s cricket history in the face and slayed at least some of them. A final awaits.