Temba Bavuma’s century helps South Africa to secure a comprehensive win over England 

The South African captain successfully managed to overcome personal challenges and led his team to a crucial series win. 

South Africa beat England by five wickets, with captain Temba Bavuma scoring a crucial 109 runs in 102 balls. Other key contributions included Aiden Markram’s gritty 49 and David Miller finishing off in the end scoring an unbeaten 58 off 37 balls to see his side home. The win secured an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series and maintained South Africa’s chance of direct qualification for the 50-over World Cup. 

South Africa’s pursuit of 343 runs was jumpstarted by Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma’s solid opening partnership. Bavuma dominated with drives and slogging against Topley and Woakes, while de Kock also displayed his batting skills with two boundaries and a six against Woakes. However, in the 12th over, Olly Stone dismissed de Kock with a fine catch by Ben Duckett. Bavuma, however, continued to bat aggressively and formed a 97-run partnership with Van der Dussen to keep South Africa in contention.  

The stand between Bavuma and Dussen was highlighted by Bavuma’s cuts off Stone and Van der Dussen’s pull shots. Bavuma reached the three-figure score in the 25^th over and celebrated it by thumping his chest with joy. He soon fell to Sam Curran’s bowling after scoring 109 on 90 balls. Despite losing some wickets, Klaasen and Markram strung together a stand of 55 before Miller added 49 runs with Markram to bring South Africa closer to victory. 

Adil Rashid later caused a stir as he dismissed Aiden Markram with a googly. South Africa did not panic, and the experienced pair of David Miller and Marco Jansen kept the scorecard ticking over with big shots. Ultimately, Miller sealed the deal by hitting a huge six off Woakes in the last over to seal the win for South Africa. The win gives them an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match ODI series and gets them closer to qualification. 

Earlier, England, after being put into bat in the first innings, made a slow start, losing Dawid Malan and Jason Roy early. Harry Brook and Ben Duckett then stabilized the innings with a 49-run stand for the third wicket. Brook and Jos Buttler then shared a 73-run partnership. After Brook was dismissed, Moeen Ali joined forces with Buttler to put on a 105-run partnership. Moeen, who had been going through a poor run of form in ODIs, hit a half-century. Buttler went on to score an unbeaten 94. But the total of 342 was not enough to keep the Proteas at bay.

Bavuma’s long wait to reach the magical three-figure mark 

Bavuma reached his hundred in the 25th over and celebrated with joy, punching the air and taking off his helmet. Bavuma gestured to his name on his shirt, thumped his heart, and displayed the Protea badge to celebrate his third ODI century, symbolizing his belief that he “still deserves to be where he is.” 

Temba Bavuma has faced uncertainty over his place in the South African white-ball team and criticism of his slow batting in the past year, leading to an emotional rollercoaster. These concerns were legitimate but difficult to deal with. 

Bavuma’s international century comes after 33 innings across all formats, and he has been rather inconsistent since his 110 against India last year. He only scored 4 fifties and was often seen being dismissed in single figures 15 times, including two ducks. He was also not selected for the T20 World Cup and was snubbed at the SA20 auction despite being the national white-ball captain. He is the only member of the current squad not to be a part of any marquee T20 tournament. 

In the post-match presentation, Bavuma spoke about the challenges of facing criticism and negative attention, especially as a professional athlete. He mentioned that it can be emotionally draining and affect people around him, such as his family. Despite this, he tries not to let the criticism get to him too much and to approach the situation objectively, but acknowledges that it is not always easy to do so, especially as the national team captain. 

Bavuma is aware of the impact he has on young and aspiring cricketers and wants to lead by example. He is a responsible captain and handles the pressure with grace, despite the challenges he faces. Despite the ups and downs in his career, he remains focused on his goals and continues to strive for success. Bavuma is a role model for many and continues to inspire people with his resilience and determination.