Why Temba Bavuma’s second century matters, for himself and South Africa

15.03.2023 - 14:51 theguardian.com

H e got there with a lofted cover drive. There is no stroke in cricket that better captures the artistry and grace of a batter in full flow than a flashing scythe through the offside.

But add in a bent back knee, an arched torso, a flourish of the hands and the delicious parabola of a ball careening over the infield and what you’ve got now is a statement.

Temba Bavuma has been making statements ever since he first held a cricket bat in Langa, an underdeveloped area of Cape Town that was solely reserved for black Africans under apartheid.

But he rarely uses words. Those rarely leave his mouth in anything other than a mumbled tone as they coalesce into a collection of media-trained athlete-speak.

cricket Sporting Rugby South Africa Cape Town

Aiden Markram hit 175 off 126 balls as South Africa took a giant step towards automatic qualification for the Cricket World Cup with a 146-run win over the Netherlands in the third one-day international at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday. "We did exactly what we wanted to do," said South Africa captain Temba Bavuma at the after-match presentation. South Africa climbed into eighth place in the Super League table, going above the West Indies and improving their net run rate with a second emphatic win in three days.

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SA vs NED, 3rd ODI Live Score Updates: South Africa take on Netherlands in the third and final ODI at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. A win for the hosts will seal automatic qualification for the ODI World Cup, which will be played in India later this year. The hosts took a 1-0 in the series after registering a convincing eight-wicket win in Benoni. (Live Scorecard)

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SA vs NED, 2nd ODI Live Score Updates: South Africa take on Netherlands in the second and final ODI at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. A win for the hosts will seal automatic qualification for the ODI World Cup, which will be played in India later this year. The hosts took a 1-0 in the series after registering a convincing eight-wicket win in Benoni. (Live Scorecard)

South Africa move closer to World Cup qualification with easy win over Dutch

BENONI, South Africa : Captain Temba Bavuma scored an unbeaten 90 to steer South Africa to an easy eight wicket victory over the Netherlands in their one-day international on Friday and take his side a step closer to automatic World Cup qualification.

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South Africa vs Netherlands, 2nd ODI. Live Updates:South Africa eye early wickets after skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bowl first against Netherlands in the second ODI at Willowmoore Park, Benoni on Friday. Two end-of-season ODI matches between South Africa and the Netherlands would not normally attract much attention -- but the games are crucial for the Proteas. The hosts have yet to qualify for the Cricket World Cup in India in October and November. They need to win both World Cup Super League matches to have a realistic chance of booking their place in world cricket's showpiece. Even with two wins, there is still an outside chance of being pipped by Ireland, although they will have to pull off a 3-0 upset series win against Bangladesh in May. (LIVE SCORECARD)

Temba Bavuma: ‘The more I played, the more I understood my significance’

“I ’ve been a silent supporter of the way they’ve gone about things,” Temba Bavuma says as, in his role as the new captain of South Africa’s Test team, he considers the impact of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum on world cricket. “I say silent because I’m still a competitor of theirs. I’ve always seen England as pioneers of cricket, but over the last year they’ve started to revolutionise the Test game.