Bavuma’s batting status was big point of contention in SA camp after skipper suffered hamstring injury while batting.
Bavuma’s batting status was well up in the air with the Proteas skipper pulling up with injury.
After sustaining a hamstring injury early in his second innings, South Africa considered whether skipper Temba Bavuma would need to retire injured on the third day at Lord’s. However, they decided not to break up a partnership that led them to the World Test Championship championship at Aiden Markram’s insistence.
Two overs before tea, Bavuma was on six when he pulled up with a hamstring strain that first required extensive outfield treatment before he survived the interval.
“We had to make a big call whether he continues to bat and how it will affect his strokeplay, how that might affect Aiden’s rhythm,” Ashwell Prince, South Africa’s batting coach, said. “If twos are being turned into one [or] they can’t run the twos or the threes. Both of them were adamant that Temba was going to continue. He wanted to continue.
“Aiden was adamant that the partnership is the key. Obviously, had [Tristan] Stubbs gone in, we would have still had Temba’s wicket intact, but you start a new partnership. They were feeling pretty good and they wanted to continue.
“Aiden was well aware that he’ll have to curb his intensity just in terms of running between the wickets to allow Temba to ease his way through it.”
With a stand of 143 at the end, the two were still undefeated together. Markram had produced a brilliant century, but it was unclear how Bavuma would perform after the night’s sleep and the body had cooled. However, it was difficult to imagine a scenario in which the captain of South Africa would not come out on the fourth morning.
“Temba is tough,” Prince said. “Aiden has great respect for Temba. In fact, I think this team’s greatest strength is the unity that they have in this camp… they are well aware that South Africa have had much greater individual players, but they’ve got something special going on in that dressing room, and that sort of helps them to drag each other along.”
But with the task not quite finished, Prince was reluctant to be drawn into discussing the wider narrative of what could unfold for Bavuma on Saturday. “He’s had to fight throughout his career, and this could be a defining moment for his career,” he said. “I believe it’s the biggest stage of in terms of Test cricket. Maybe I should answer the question after the game.”