As the South Africa balcony erupted in ecstasy, and the green shirts in the crowd sent a roar ringing around St John’s Wood, Temba Bavuma simply sat there with his head in his hands. Relief? Disbelief? Whatever it was, it was the culmination of a journey from the township of Langa to the new pinnacle of Test cricket at Lord’s. South Africa, World Test Championship winners under his calm leadership, had made history.
There were a couple of stutters along the way, moments when South African backsides started to twitch like a rabbit’s nose and memories of all those self-inflicted heartaches at International Cricket Council events came flooding back. But in the end, guided by a masterful 136 from Aiden Markram – catharsis after last year’s loss in the T20 World Cup final under his captaincy – they squeezed out the remaining 69 runs to beat Australia by five wickets.
The winning moment came at 12.45pm when the newly arrived – and almost instantly dismissed – Kyle Verreynne crashed Mitchell Starc through the covers to ice a target of 282 runs. Half an hour later Bavuma was on the podium lifting the ICC Test mace amid an explosion of green pyrotechnics and flames. Eight straight wins, including this against the defending champions, made them worthy winners.
Few were predicting this outcome during a buildup that was dominated by talk of their path to the final exposing flaws in the league system. And those who did tip a South Africa win were probably hoping the words would go unnoticed when they slipped to 30 for four on the first evening. At that stage Kagiso Rabada’s earlier heroics with the ball – five wickets in Australia’s first innings, en route to nine in the match – looked likely to be in vain.
But even when this turned into a first-innings deficit of 74 runs, Bavuma’s men simply refused to buckle and clawed their way back into the contest through the skill of their attack and surely the innings of Markram’s life. Granted, they capitalised on a previously spicy surface that had seemingly popped a couple of Valium, but the weight of history, plus a champion Australia attack, meant this was no cakewalk.
A South African has lifted the mace before, of course, Graeme Smith doing so here in 2012 when it went to the team at the top of the Test rankings. But even just a cursory glance down the two scorecards suggests this feat may surpass it. The remarkable Rabada is arguably the only current Protea who would outright demand a spot in an XI that featured players such as Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn, although Markram has probably now staked a claim to open alongside Smith in the supergroup.
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Until it was gallingly shut down by Josh Hazlewood with just six needed to win, Markram had delivered a masterclass in meditative batting: rock-solid defence, crisp back-foot glides, and an eye for a quick single. South Africa oozed to the finish line rather than surged there, but then they were never going to do it easily.
It took a third-wicket stand of 147 between Markram and Bavuma to break the back of the target. But after Bavuma edged Pat Cummins behind on 66 in the third over of the day and Tristan Stubbs was bowled by a Starc howitzer for eight from 43 balls, there were still 41 runs required. Sideways glances in the South Africa camp, a shot of energy for Australia, and the desired jeopardy for the neutrals.
But with the Zen-like Markram still anchoring things, David Bedingham held firm for an unbeaten 21 at the other end. And though technically caught behind with one run to win – not out on the field and with Australia’s reviews all burned by this stage – the jittery Verreynne then blazed the shot that will now go down in South African folklore.
As amusing as it would be to chalk this up as another victory over Australia for Stuart Broad, who helped the Proteas in the buildup with some tailored plans for Lord’s, kudos for masterminding the heist should go to the head coach, Shukri Conrad, and Bavuma, a captain who has had to overcome a fair few doubters along the way.
Perhaps in some ways it was fitting that three figures should elude Bavuma on the day. Though he shot to fame in 2016 as the first black South African to score a Test century, his trademark since has been nuggety half-centuries when the chips are down. Bavuma has also not lost a Test in 10 matches as captain, averages 57 with the bat when performing the role, and is seemingly adored by his players.
Going by the South Africa supporters who chanted “Oh Temba Bavuma” to the tune of Seven Nation Army, they are clearly not alone here. The question now is whether this victory can kickstart a wider revival back home; whether Cricket South Africa can fix an upcoming home summer that has no Test cricket scheduled and the global game can address the imbalance that created this situation.
Having shaken off the dreaded “chokers” tag and dethroned this ageing but champion Australia side, it would be something of a crime if South Africa did not play a Test in front of their home support for another 18 months. As Bavuma and his underdogs have demonstrated over the past four days, where there is a will, there is a way.
