Battling Bavuma and Markram have guided the Proteas to the brink of cricketing history

Daily Maverick

15 hours ago

At tea on day three, a decision needed to be made whether Temba Bavuma would come out to bat, after injuring his hamstring. Both Aiden Markram and the captain were adamant that they had to take guard in the final session.
Aiden Markram's celebrations to get to his eighth Test century were subdued against Australia in the evening session of day three of the World Test Championship (WTC) final. There was no leap into the air, no celebratory run or jog. After clipping the ball to the square leg boundary off Josh Hazlewood he simply removed his helmet, looked up to the heavens, and pointed his bat to the crowd.
A few feet away from him, captain Temba Bavuma stood and applauded his vice-captain.
Together the pair took South Africa (SA) from 70 for two to 213 for two at the end of the day's play.
Markram would have been proud of the achievement of carrying his bat to 102 off 159 deliveries at stumps, but aware the job wasn't done yet. The Proteas require another 69 runs before entertaining thoughts of celebration.
Few South African batters have faced more scrutiny from the public than Bavuma and Markram, and both have been dropped from the Test side and forced their way back into it during their careers. It hasn't been a straightforward journey for either, but they are on the cusp of helping the team to a special achievement.
'Both those guys have been through a lot of adversity over the last couple of years,' Wiaan Mulder said of Bavuma and Markram after the match. 'You could see how drained they were as they walked off. It's really special to see two guys who put South African cricket first do something special for us.'
Possible record
SA, pursuing what could be the second-highest total ever chased at Lord's, were heavily dependent on the contributions of their two most experienced batters.
No other batter in SA's top six has played more than 20 matches.
But the partnership was nearly broken as it was just starting to bloom. Bavuma sustained a hamstring strain while running, attempting to scamper for his ninth run of the innings. A quick single dropped to midwicket off the bowling of Mitchell Starc from the Pavilion End saw the captain pull up gingerly, and medics called onto the field.
Bavuma lay next to the pitch, wincing in pain, on his stomach, while SA's team doctor assessed the damage.
The tea break came a few overs later and the partnership had begun to form. But a key decision had to be made. Would Bavuma continue batting or would they allow him to recuperate and come back to bat when he felt better?
'Both of them were adamant that Temba was going to continue,' batting coach Ashwell Prince said about the discussion between Bavuma and Markram at tea.
'[Bavuma] wanted to continue. Aiden was adamant that the partnership is the key.
'Had Stubbs gone in, we would have still had Temba's wicket intact, but you start in a new partnership. They were feeling pretty good and they wanted to continue.
'And Aiden was well aware that he'd have to curb his intensity just in terms of running between the wickets to allow Temba to ease his way through it.'
Markram was right. Their partnership was key. The pair put on an incredible 143 runs — the highest of the match — with Bavuma hopping and limping to the ends he was running towards.
Comment on character
What does it say about Bavuma's character that he decided to play through the pain and try to get his side over the line?
'It says a lot,' Prince said. 'It's not done yet, he's had to fight throughout his career and this could be a defining moment for his career, I believe.'
Prince, visibly emotional as he spoke about the team's captain, had to stop himself from getting carried away.
'It's the biggest stage in terms of Test cricket,' he added. '…Maybe I should answer the question after the game.'
This Proteas side has not one batter that currently averages over 40. Australia has five. Yet they are the ones closer to victory at the end of day three, chasing what would be the second-highest score at the venue.
'This team's greatest strength is the unity they have in this camp,' Prince explained.
'They are well aware that South Africa have had much greater individual players, but they've got something special going up in our dressing room and that sort of helps them to drag each other along.'
Before head coach Shukri Conrad took over the role at the start of 2023, Markram wasn't in the Test squad and Bavuma wasn't the leader.
So what is Conrad's message to the pair headed into the day they could rewrite South African cricket history?
'As soon as Aiden and Temba came up the stairs, the first thing he said was: 'Guys, you do the same as you do every night, don't change a thing,'' Prince said.
''Tomorrow morning, come and do the same warm-ups that you do every day, just the same processes.
''We obviously understand the magnitude of the situation and what's at stake, but just stay calm and take it in your stride.''