SA V WI, 2ND TEST

Temba Bavuma's beautiful noise

Bavuma's undefeated 171, his career-best score, put South Africa in complete control of the second Test
Bavuma's undefeated 171, his career-best score, put South Africa in complete control of the second Test ©AFP

It was seven years and 64 days. Or 86 months and four days. Or 374 weeks and one day. Or 2,619 days. Or 62,856 hours. Or 3,771,360 minutes. Or 226,281,600 seconds. Or 48 matches. Or 88 innings. However you measure it, it was a long time between Test centuries for Temba Bavuma.

It ended in the eighth over after tea at the Wanderers on Friday, when Bavuma cracked Alzarri Joseph over cover for four. The ball was red, but it described a rainbow as it arced high through the heavy late summer air. Bavuma himself offered a candid take on the moment critique: "I got a ball outside off-stump, and I definitely wasn't going to try to hit it on the ground." That brought his partner, Wiaan Mulder, leaping and bounding down the pitch towards him as if he had completed a century himself. That's what captaincy looks like.

But, for some, the stroke of Bavuma's innings came with a dozen deliveries left in the day. The sun had set low enough over the tall stands and even taller blue gum trees beyond the western boundary to paint deep dark shadows on fully a third of the outfield, indeed encroaching on the pitch. Raymon Reifer loped in from the Golf Course End and let loose left arm, and Bavuma, his movements liquid, almost louche, angled his feet, legs, hips, torso and arms just so to send a square drive into the golden light that blazed all the way to the Kent Park Taverners Stand and beyond. The scorers duly dotted down four. It was priceless.

Bavuma's undefeated 171, his career-best score, put South Africa in complete control of the second Test against West Indies. Going into the fourth day they are 356 runs ahead against opponents who looked more weary and listless with every passing apparently futile delivery.

Between Bavuma's hundreds the world has shambled through a global pandemic and into a war in Ukraine without ending a war in Syria. Americans have elected and rid themselves of a buffoon president. The UK have jettisoned two mediocrities and then two buffoons as prime ministers. South Africans have axed a bad president, elected a weak president, and don't know when they might next have a single day without planned power cuts.

Bavuma scored his only other century against England on a generous surface at Newlands in January 2016. He took guard at 439/4 after Hashim Amla had been dismissed for 201. AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis made 88 and 86, and Chris Morris' 69. The occasion loomed larger than most in South Africa's cricket history - no black batter had made a century for the national team - but, in terms of the match situation, the pressure was minimal.

The circumstances were different this time. Bavuma walked out to bat in the eighth over of the second innings with South Africa 8/2 - a lead of 77, which was difficult to quantify meaningfully on a pitch that hadn't made up its mind whether it was a seaming, spinning or batting surface, or all three, or none. After Bavuma arrived his team slumped to 32/3, 69/4 and 103/5; 172 ahead with Mulder their only remaining recognised batter. Shukri Conrad has spoken of wanting his team to be put in uncomfortable positions. That box has been ticked.

"I've always found myself in those type of situations, coming in at 20/4 or 10/2, and you really have to try soak in that pressure and absorb," Bavuma said. "And then, when the opportunity comes, try release it. I think I've done that in my career, albeit I didn't have any big scores to back it up. Walking in in that situation is something I'm mentally accustomed to. My game leans towards it."

South Africa were 76/4 when Bavuma came to the crease in Hobart in November 2016. He scored 74 and Quinton de Kock made 104 and they totalled 326. The visitors won by an innings. In Wellington in March 2017, Bavuma walked out with the scoreboard reading 79/5. His 89 was instrumental in South Africa's eight-wicket win. So this was nothing new, and Bavuma and Mulder batted together from an hour after lunch until 10 overs after tea in their stand of 103. Then Bavuma and Simon Harmer put on 71 to bat the Windies out of the match.

Other players have to deal with opponents and conditions and the other conceivable challenges of being an international cricketer. Bavuma has to navigate those, and exponentially more abuse than his teammates, almost all of it racist. How much had he grown between his first and second centuries?

"It's a long journey. There've been a lot more downs than ups. I keep learning about myself every day in terms of the type of person and cricketer that I am. I've tried to take everything in my stride and I always keep my chin up, and always stay true to myself. That Temba was young back then; very naive, ignorant of everything around. Now I've got a better understanding of myself, of my surroundings; the pressures and the challenges that come with me being in international cricket.

"Playing for the Proteas is about inspiring the next bunch of cricketers. Me being a black African cricketer allows a lot more black African cricketers and batters to dream and believe that they can also play for the Proteas and have their names entrenched in the history books. It's special. I'm sure the young Temba who made his debut for South Africa would be very proud of the Temba he sees today. With everything that has happened, I'm still managing to keep my head up, keep afloat and keep finding my way to move forward."

Bavuma batted for more than six hours in Friday's heat, and will resume in the morning. How was he managing the mental and physical fatigue? "I'm probably more mentally tired than physically," he said. "The adrenaline is still in me at the moment and keeping me going. I've got a big ice bath waiting, and I'll probably have a beer with the guys. But come tomorrow, you've got to put it behind you and look forward to what is in front of you. I'm going to enjoy the moment and the evening, and look to put my best foot forward tomorrow again."

A velvet evening had cloaked the Wanderers in soft near darkness by the time South Africa's team bus was ready to ease out of the ground. But the fans had waited, and they were heard: "Temba! Temba! Temba!" What a beautiful noise.

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