Bavuma finds his place, and the adulation follows
A career-best 179, a defining role in the WTC triumph and a growing sense of responsibility have changed the way Bavuma is seen - and perhaps the way he sees himself
It’s December 10, 2024 and we’re in the departure lounge at Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in Gqeberha. Among us are Temba Bavuma, Phila Lobi-Bavuma and their one-year-old son.
South Africa completed a 109-run over Sri Lanka in the second Test at St George’s Park the day before. Now it’s time to leave.
Bavuma scored 78 and 66 in the match, but Ryan Rickelton and Kyle Verreynne made centuries and Dane Paterson and Keshav Maharaj took five-wicket-hauls. So Bavuma is unbothered by anyone in the room, and thus able to devote his attention to his child. A deeply private man, he seems relieved not to be noticed. In fact, none of the players are being asked for selfies or autographs.
Less than two years on, much has changed.
It’s Friday in the departure lounge at Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport and Bavuma can’t take three steps without being asked to stand alongside a stranger and smile into a cellphone camera lens. On top of that, he looks like he is enjoying the experience. The scene is strikingly different from what it was previously.
Part of the reason why is that South Africa’s squad are sharing their flight to Cape Town for the third Test against Australia, at Newlands starting on Tuesday, with many in the Aussies’ sizeable ranks of travelling supporters. When Sri Lanka tour South Africa, they don’t come armed with fans.
Another part of the reason why Bavuma seems to be exponentially more popular than he used to be is that, contrary to their reputation, Australian supporters - especially those who go on tours - are fair-minded. Thus several of the strangers who want smiley selfies with Bavuma are from the other side of the globe. He obliges enthusiastically.
But the biggest part of the reason is Bavuma himself. He batted for more than nine hours to score a career-best 179, an innings that started when his team were 12/2 on their way to 110/6. When he was caught behind off Mitchell Starc the home side were able to declare at 425/9.
Bavuma had help from Ryan Rickelton, Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer, with whom he shared stands of 52, 132 and 183. But the plain truth of it was that, without Bavuma, South Africa would not have won, nevermind by as big a margin as an innings and 31 runs.
Without Bavuma, they wouldn’t be heading to Cape Town to play a decider. At best they would have been trying to level matters. At worst the series would have been lost with a match to spare. Now we have a cracker on our hands.
“It’s definitely not another game of cricket,” Bavuma told a press conference on Monday. His candour was as refreshing as it was expected. This guy talks as straight as he bats.
“[The series] has been exciting. It shows that there’s a fine line between winning and losing when two top teams come together. I’d like to believe and feel that we are speaking to the tag that comes with us being [WTC] champions.”
Bavuma was an important factor in South Africa’s five-wicket win over Australia in the WTC final at Lord’s in June last year. Without his 66 in the second innings, injured hamstring and all, that triumph would have been much more difficult to achieve, if at all.
There’s been more where that came from. In his last 16 Test innings Bavuma has reached 50 eight times, thrice going on to score a century. What’s made the difference?
“I have been playing international cricket for 10 years. At some point I was going to get something right.”
The roomful of reporters laughed at his joke, and kept listening: “It’s also about accepting myself as a player; what it is that I can and can't do, what allows me to be successful.” It was no use “trying to find a secret formula or whatever that allows you to be successful” because “you look at guys like AB and Hash, they’re totally different”. So “you think you have to play like AB or Hash, and you forget to embrace what you have”.
What he has is a strong sense of duty. Since Bavuma became South Africa’s captain in February 2023 he has scored four of his five centuries and averages 51.68. Is that what’s made the difference?
“My life has developed in a way where there’s a lot more responsibility off the field. I guess that helps to offload any type of pressure. But also to have perspective about things. There’s also more enjoyment in taking on challenges.”
Was he appreciative of the heightened attention he is receiving from the public?
“There’s been quite a lot. People also think I work for [CSA’s ticket service providers]. They keep asking me for tickets. That’s how it goes, right? When you’re doing well people are there. It can be overwhelming, so I try to hide myself. But, yeah, there has been a lot of …”
Bavuma paused to search out the right term. Not because he doesn’t have a decent vocabulary but because he does and is good at finding the right words. He duly did: “ … adulation.”
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport is named after a noted Khoi leader born in the late 18th century. He raged against South Africa’s colonist insurgents and was among the earliest political prisoners sent to Robben Island. Stuurman was eventually banished to Australia. He died in Sydney in February 1830.
These days South Africa’s heroes don’t have to live lives like that. Instead they are adulated. In the finest way, there’s nowhere for Bavuma to hide from that. Best he get used to it.
