Bavuma backs Proteas to bounce back

Captain Temba Bavuma believes South Africa still have enough firepower to trouble Australia at St George’s Park, despite not having every weapon available as they look to level the series in the second Dafabet Test match starting in Gqeberha on Sunday.

The Proteas were beaten by 214 runs in Durban to fall 1-0 behind, but Bavuma’s message on Saturday was that the response cannot rest on the return of Kagiso Rabada alone.

Rabada has been cleared by the fitness team and is available after missing the opening Test. His return would give South Africa a major boost after Australia reached 390 in Durban.

“We feed massively off him,” Bavuma said. “He leads the attack in everything that he does, and then he brings an extra level of confidence to the unit.”

But the captain was careful not to place the responsibility solely on Rabada, pointing to the resources still available across the squad.

Anrich Nortje, who returned to Test cricket in Durban after more than three years away, performed well in Durban and is available again, with Bavuma saying Nortje was physically and mentally ready to make another impact.

The final match XI remains undecided, with the weather and pitch likely to determine the balance of the side.

Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy are all options, while an extra batter or all-rounder could be drafted in to influence the XI.

“We have the luxury of going either way and we trust that whichever way we go, we’ll be able to pick a very, very competitive XI,” Bavuma said.

That depth is also evident in the batting, where Marques Ackerman and Matthew Breetzke are expected, should they crack the final XI, to bring fresh energy after the hosts were unable to convert their promising starts at Kingsmead.

He described Ackerman as someone who “likes to get in the fight”, while Breetzke can draw on his successful start to international cricket and his performances against Australia.

The changes come after Aiden Markram was the only South African batter to pass 50, with the captain adding that the biggest improvement was for the batting group to extend their innings once established.

“We take the little good moments that we had in our batting,” he said.

“We feed off the confidence of Aiden, the way he went about his business. But yeah, it’s more about just extending our batting innings.”

Ryan Rickelton is another part of the selection puzzle, with the left-hander set to take the gloves while his batting position remains undecided.

Bavuma rejected the suggestion that SA were simply hoping Rickelton would rediscover his form.

“There has to be a strategy behind whatever it is that we are doing,” he said. “That strategy is backed by confidence in that individual.”

For Bavuma himself, the answer is to trust what has worked. His call for greater application does not mean he intends to alter his own method.

“My method has been rather successful over the last couple of years, so I want to stick to that,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to expect anything different from me.”

Bavuma acknowledged the challenge of responding after going 1-0 down, likening it to the mental adjustment SA sporting teams often face against major rivals.

He could not explain their strong St George’s Park record, but believes the familiar surroundings can help reset the team.

“Mentally, we’ll be as attuned as we need to be, we believe that should translate into a much better performance,” the skipper explained.

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