South Africa captain Temba Bavuma hopes the historic ICC World Test Championship Final win over Australia at Lord’s will help his country ‘rejoice and come together’ as he revealed a desire to emulate the Springboks’ all-conquering rugby team.
Bavuma may be almost a foot smaller than his oval-ball counterpart Siya Kolisi, but both men are now giants in South African sporting folklore, having led their nation to global glory.
The Proteas’ batter carries plenty of weight on his shoulders, but again showed he is a cricketer with plenty of guts in his vital second-innings knock of 66, the majority of which was compiled with a hamstring injury.
He fell early on day four but Aiden Markram continued on to a match-winning 136 before David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne sealed the outcome amid joyous celebrations at Lord’s as South Africa chased down 282 and ended a 27-year wait for a major ICC trophy.
“The word that comes to mind is special – for this group and the country,” Bavuma said.
“I am not a big rugby fan but I watch those guys and the biggest thing I admire is their success and how they have embraced what South Africa means.
“We are unique in a lot of ways, our present and future is shaped by our past, but the way they have gone about it to capture the hearts of everyone has really made us love them.
“That is something we have spoken about, doing something special. It is a chance for us to rejoice in something, forget our issues and come together.
“For this group of players, there are a lot of doubters but the way we played wiped that out.”
South Africa made slow and steady progress towards their target on day four, which began with 69 more runs required.
Their well-publicised history of failing to get over the line at global events ensured the tension remained until the job was done, at which point Bavuma attempted to take in the magnitude of what he and his side have achieved.
“It was quite tense, even when we got it to 10 runs (needed) we knew anything can happen,” he said.
“When he (Verreynne) scored the runs, I hid my head in my hands, just trying to embrace and acknowledge what we’ve just done.
“I thought of the experiences I’ve had in the last couple of years. It hasn’t been easy, it’s not easy being captain of South Africa.
“All the sacrifice, disappointment, at that moment it really feels worth it.
“When you are going through it all, giving up is always an option in the back of your mind but something wills you on. For me, it’s that moment there.
“(I want) to be recognised as more than just a black African cricketer, and to be seen as someone who has done something the country has wanted.
“I will walk around with my chest out and hope it continues to inspire our country.”
The scenes inside Lord’s as Bavuma and his players embarked upon their well deserved lap of honour suggested they have done just that.
This leafy corner of London was taken over by rapturous South African voices as the Final swung in the direction of the Proteas but while the emotion at breaking their duck was tangible, Bavuma has no plans to stop here.
“We hope this is the start of something, there could be more trophies,” he said.
“We have created history but we would like to emulate, if not do better than what Graeme (Smith) and his team did. They set the standard and I don’t think anyone has reached that yet.
“I’d like us to be in a position where we can go to Pakistan and India, have victories there and do a lot more.
“We have had a lot of success in this cycle, which we don’t look past. But from a longevity point of view, to really get the respect out there as a Test team, we’d like to see where we are in the next two years.”
