Temba’s daddy knock
South Africa played two innings in the second Test against Australia, over three days. They faced a wet, green pitch first, then a soft ball on a drier surface at Gqeberha.
So Marco Jansen and Temba Bavuma both made runs, but in different worlds.
For the South African captain, the conditions were tough, and outside of Ryan Rickleton, none of his top order could work it out. But he did something that others could not; he played late.
Well, actually, that is not quite true. Matthew Breetzke plays as late as anyone in the game, but he played one shot away from his body, and he was gone.
Bavuma didn’t chase, or hit early, he waited for the ball to be under his eyes, and he defended or scored. It sounds simple, but he kept his feet in a box, which AB de Villiers talks about. But he also didn’t reach, prod, or push. That means his hands and feet were in on the plan.
This was a proper grown-up hundred. Outside of Josh Hazlewood’s illness, Australia had everything their own way. They would have hoped for a 175-ish total. And Bavuma said no.
