It's a long way from Bavuma to Stubbs

You want portents? We've got portents. After Tristan Stubbs had tucked Asitha Fernando to square leg and set off on a galumph for the two runs he needed to reach his second century in as many Tests and in 31 days, Kingsmead's main scoreboard lit up with South Africa's lead: 438.

Stubbs' long-legged lope to his ton came on the strains of the first tune offered by the freshly arrived Northwood High School brass band: Eddy Grant's "Gimme Hope Jo'anna". Hope for what, exactly, the suffering Sri Lankans might have asked.

Just then, a vehicle with an attached siren screamed along Masabalala Yengwa Avenue immediately to the west. That drew eyes, some of which would have alighted not on the smaller, manual scoreboard there but on the small sign underneath it: "Emergency exit". Except there was no way out for the Lankans.

When Temba Bavuma lunged well outside his off stump to sweep Prabath Jayasuriya to deep square for three, he removed his helmet and raised his bat - his third century was in the books. Until it wasn't. The visitors reviewed for lbw. Bavuma returned his helmet to its place and waited. Ultra Edge showed the smallest spike as ball passed glove. Off came the helmet again, this time for a long moment to allow the 1,728 then in the ground to sate themselves with applause. Whatever could go wrong for Sri Lanka would, it seemed, go wrong.

By the time Vishwa Fernando sent Stubbs' leg stump flying for 122 with the 24th delivery before Tea, Stubbs and Bavuma had shared 249 to put South Africa in complete control. When Asitha Fernando produced a brisk inswinger to trap Bavuma in front for 113 to end that session, South Africa declared at 366/5.

Where were all those simple-minded 2019 doom prophets now? Maybe willing another portent and waiting to see if enough of the ghosts of that triumph would swirl to conjure another. Thing is, when Kusal Perera scored an epic 153 not out and shared an unbroken stand of 78 with Vishwa to seal an epic victory by one wicket at Kingsmead in February 2019, Sri Lanka were chasing 304. This time they are after 516 - a target 212 runs bigger - and Perera isn't around.

By stumps, they had lost half their wickets and were still 413 runs away from winning. Barring Perera being parachuted in as a concussion substitute, that doesn't look like happening. And maybe not even then - Perera has had 13 Test innings since the highlight of his career, and has but three 60s to show for his efforts.

A single word dominated the screen on the scoreboard at the instant Bavuma's hundred was confirmed: "Malume!" It's the isiXhosa and isiZulu term for uncle. What is Bavuma to his cricketminded compatriots if not an uncle? He is only 34 and just a year into fatherhood, but the head on his shoulders is significantly older and wiser than the facts of the matter. How could it not be given all Bavuma has been put through by the racist components among those cricketminded compatriots?

Stubbs is more than 10 years Bavuma's junior, and so from a different generation in playing terms. When Stubbs made his international debut, in a T20I against India in Delhi in June 2022, Bavuma had already won 51 caps in all formats for South Africa, the first of them a Test against West Indies at St George's Park in December 2014.

South Africa's Test team was different then. They fared better on the field than now - nothing a WTC title wouldn't change - but away from the eyes there was much to do. The culture was that of a boys' high school on steroids; a place of irrational hierarchy and not enough mutual respect. They weren't a bad bunch of blokes, but they did lack the skills and the motivation to be better blokes.

Bavuma has lived what Stubbs will never have to endure, and for that we should be relieved. Had Stubbs arrived with Bavuma he might never have been taken seriously, or he would have had all that spaniel puppy energy browbeaten out of him.

Whether he would have forged enough points of connection to be able to spend more than five hours batting with a captain so different to him - stoic, older, black, 31 centimetres shorter - back in the day is an unanswerable question. But it is no less valid for that.

"I'm energetic and he calms me down, and I get him up," Stubbs told reporters. "When you're batting with someone in a big partnership, that's good. You get the rhythm, and know what you want to speak about in the middle. And then that's that."

What did he and Bavuma say to each other, particularly as their centuries approached?

"I didn't want to say much because I knew he would be nervous in the 90s. But when he was 98 and the spinner [Jayasuriya] was on, he faced the first ball, gets one, and then he's like, 'Listen, please get me one here. I need to get on strike.' That was the most nervous I felt in the day because I was like, s**t, I have to get one here."

What was it like waiting for Bavuma to be reprieved on review?

"I saw him glove it straight away so I wasn't stressed. But I could see he was nervous, which made me nervous."

In a press conference, Bavuma admitted to his inner disquiet: "I'm not too good when I get to the 80s and 90s. I'm going to try and get to a hundred as soon as I can. My intent didn't change. I was always looking to score. That became high-risk with the new ball [taken when Stubbs was 90 and Bavuma 77] but I tried to stay to that approach as much as I could."

Bavuma's version of his 90s conversation with Stubbs checked out, mostly: "Getting to the three-figure mark was nerve-wracking. When I was at 97, facing [Jayasuriya], I got one off the first ball, and then the next two balls, Tristan blocked them. I went over to him and I said, 'Stubbo, please get me on strike; I can't wait at this end.'"

Bavuma has had many valuable innings for South Africa, but only three centuries in 103 innings. He took that on the chin: "Hundreds are our currency as batters. From a mental point of view, I'm starting to find a formula for how you can go about not just scoring 50s and 60s, but putting the team in a very strong position. It's always nice scoring a hundred; that's what we aim to do. It doesn't always happens, and it gives you a lot of confidence when you're able to do so."

As for Stubbs: "He reminds me of batting with AB, who was always intense, always reminding you what your plans are, making sure you're in tune with what you're doing."

Not many players are identifiable solely by their initials. Almost as few are bracketed with them. Praise does not come higher.

How did Bavuma feel about being called an uncle? He was asked that by a white, non-isiXhosa-speaking South African reporter who mangled the pronunciation of "malume" impressively enough for Bavuma to ask him to repeat the question more than once. It was a cameo of where South Africa is, and isn't, now.

"That's one of the nicknames I've copped within the team; I just take it," Bavuma said. "I'm hoping it means something that has to do with wisdom. Maybe it has to do with that. I didn't see that on the scoreboard, but I did hear a couple of people shouting it in the stands when we were walking to the changeroom. I don't think it's a bad nickname. But I'm sure knowing the guys, in a couple of months I'll have another one."

Whatever it is, it will be respectful. Whatever else Bavuma has done, he has earned that. The hardest way.