Gqeberha [South Africa], October 23 (ANI): South African skipper Temba Bavuma admitted that as the World Test Champions, the team does feel like being under a microscope and having a target on their back, but also admitted that the win at the second Test against Australia is a
“realisation of what it means coming up against super strong opposition”.
After two days worth of action was vastly eaten by rain, Proteas managed to make a game out of the second Test, with Temba Bavuma’s resolute 179 and partnerships with Marco Jansen (85), Simon Harmer (82) guiding Proteas to 425/9 declared. Jansen’s fifer bundled out Aussies for 99 on day four, opening up the possibility of an innings win. At the end of day four, Aussies were four down in their second innings. Travis Head did show a fight with only his second away century, but a four-wicket haul by Kagiso Rabada and overall collective bowling effort helped Proteas level the series with a win by an innings and 31 runs and set up an exciting series decider for Cape Town from October 27.
Bavuma produced a Player of the Match performance when contributing a superb 179 during the Proteas’ series-levelling second Test triumph over Australia in Gqeberha as South Africa stayed in touch with the World Test Championship pacesetters as they try and defend the mace they won at Lord’s last year.
Nearly everything went as planned for South Africa during the second Test, with Bavuma’s innings stabilising the Proteas before Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen Wiaan Mulder and Co delivered with the ball to leave everything to play for in Cape Town.
While Bavuma was thrilled with the efforts of his side, he thinks there might be more to come from his side in the future as they learn to deal with the pressure of being the reigning World Test Championship winners.
“Sometimes as a team, we forget that the target is on our back and everyone wants to have a go at us,” Bavuma said after the win as quoted by ICC.
“Everyone wants us to show our mettle as the current world champions, and everything that we do is under the microscope.”
“Our performance in Durban was a realisation of that, but also a realisation of what it means coming up against super strong opposition.”
While it was Jansen that received many of the plaudits for his five-wicket haul in Australia’s first innings in Gqeberha, Bavuma said it was pace spearhead Rabada that led the way as he collected six scalps for the match after missing the first Test in Durban.
“He is massive value,” Bavuma said of Rabada.
“When he is on the field, he assumes that responsibility and pressure of leading the attack, and I believe it allows everyone else to kind of go about and do what they need to do. A guy like Marco (Jansen) in the first innings, him taking a five-for. And then in the second innings, Wiaan Mulder with crucial wickets.”
“That’s what a leader does. KG is not a big guy in terms of speeches. He will speak whenever he sees fit. But with the figure that he is, he is inspiring in a lot of ways,” he signed off.
The Proteas will need to make at least one change for the series decider at Cape Town, with returning pacer Anrich Nortje hurting his groin during the second Test and fellow quicks Gerald Coetzee, Dane Paterson and Corbin Bosch now looming as his replacement. (ANI)
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