Bavuma's XI, and sports as the great unifier
In the years immediately after apartheid, the new President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, found in sports a medium to impart his vision of reconciliation to a nation at odds with its racial diversity. When South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup in 1995, Mandela offered the slogan, 'One team, One country', to bring together a deeply divided nation. Rugby was the preferred sport of White South Africans, and Mandela's endorsement of the Springboks, exemplified by his appearance in a team jersey at the finals in Johannesburg, was a significant moment in that country's political and sporting history. South Africa won that final, an event on which Clint Eastwood made the 2009 movie, Invictus.
At Lord's on Saturday, South Africa's cricket captain, Tenda Bavuma, framed the significance of his team winning the World Test Championship thus: '... as a country, here's an opportunity for us, as divided as we are at times, to forget all of that, to rejoice in this moment and just be one.' The win, surely, goes beyond being a South African victory in an international tournament after nearly three decades. Few gave Bavuma's team a chance against Australia, which boasted the world's best bowling attack. More talented South African teams have choked at crunch time. But Bavuma's XI was solid as it pursued victory in the weather-stricken but dramatic final. For Bavuma, who batted well in both innings, this is a personal win: He has been unfairly targeted as a Black quota player. The win, hopefully, will revive cricket among young South Africans, who seem to prefer rugby and football.
After Mandela's passing, South Africa needed new heroes to emphasise the message of togetherness. Bavuma's XI, representative of the rainbow nation (White nationals, Black players, Asian-origin natives), may turn out to be one. And, sports can reaffirm its potential as a balm for wounded souls, and nations.
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