Bavuma relieved to finally hit the middle of the bat: 'It's been a while'

Proteas captain Temba Bavuma breathed a sigh of relief as he made his highest score of the calendar year against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.

Bavuma has been under-fire since returning from an injury, scoring 0, 0, 3, 2*, 2 and 10.

With the Proteas chasing 186 before rain halted play in Sydney, Bavuma played an encouraging knock as he brought up his highest score of the 2022 year.

After the early loss of his opening partnership Quinton de Kock, Bavuma stood tall and played a valiant knock of 36 off 19 balls before he nicked Shaheen Afridi behind.

"It's been a while since I've hit the ball anywhere near the middle," Bavuma told reporters after Thursday's loss.

"I felt a lot better today, felt like I was seeing the ball well and making better decisions and just felt a lot more calmer.

"I guess I tried to enjoy it to be honest and just watch the ball and whatever happens, happens. Hopefully, it can continue for much longer into the tournament."

Bavuma's wicket saw a mini-collapse as the Proteas were behind their DLS par score before rain stopped play in Sydney.

With the Proteas set a new target of 142, SA eventually stumbled to 108-9 in 14 overs - falling short by 33 runs (DLS method) and suffering their first defeat at the World Cup.

The Proteas remain second in Group 2 and remain on five points with one more game left before the knockouts.

The Proteas' final group encounter is against the Netherlands on Sunday at Adelaide Oval.

Play starts at 02:00 SA time.