Another hour, 1 more session: How Bavuma inspired South Africa to victory in Gqeberha

“That innings is definitely up there as one of my best knocks. I think we saw all day that the batting was quite difficult, especially against the new ball. So I think to be able to perform and put the team in a very competitive position, I’m very proud of that.”

Proud Temba Bavuma rated his strike at Gqberha as the best in his career and rightfully so. The Proteas were reeling at 98 for five on Day 2 when Bavuma played the innings of a lifetime to take them to 425. He got dogged support from Marc Jansen and Simon Harmer to manage and score 179 runs.

And once South Africa found themselves in a position of control, several things stood in their way. One was the backlash from Travis Head and Scott Boland. Then came the threat of rain, a strong possibility to spoil their chances of winning.

But Bavuma and his side found inspiration in their own strike to defy the odds. It was all about taking things one hour and one session at a time. Play some good old Test cricket. The result saw South Africa secure one of their best wins in recent memory and beat them Aussies by an innings and 31 runs.

“I think basically it’s just about trying to stay in the moment, right? I think when we were hitting it was all about how can we extend it, how can we go another hour.”

“The next hour becomes a session. How do we make sure we keep them on their toes because we know the impact it has. And then when the opportunity comes, we’re challenged to be a lot more ruthless and take it.”

“And I think in the second innings we did exactly that. So I think that’s how we play our cricket. I think our team, the way we go about it, we play good old Test cricket, we try to wear the opposition down and then take them down when the opportunity arises,” Bavuma said.

The Proteas captain admitted there was tension and drama inside the changing room. The clouds were coming in big and the Aussies were showing steel. But once his side was on the pitch, it was different.

“The weather also wanted to play a part. We were a little bit scrappy in the dressing room, not too sure about the weather. But, yeah, we were excited as soon as we got on. They made us work for those wickets, those six wickets. And of course everyone in the dressing room is happy,” Bavuma said.

The series decider between South Africa and Australia will begin on October 27 in Cape Town.

– The end