De Kock takes advice to heart
SUBLIME: OUT-OF-FORM KEEPER FLAYS KIWI BOWLING
Bavuma back with a bang as pair rescue the Proteas.
Earlier this week, Proteas captain Faf du Plessis had simple advice for Quinton de Kock to handle a small slump in form: don’t overthink things. Yesterday, the exciting wicketkeeper-batsman took that lesson to heart as he played his side into an excellent position at the end of the second day of the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington. De Kock was simply magnificent as his fluent 91 off just 118 balls provided the platform for South Africa’s 349/9, a vital lead of 81.
Yet this innings wasn’t an indication of his mental strength. Instead, it was a glimpse into the Proteas’ future – one where De Kock and Temba Bavuma will be the backbone of this line-up’s middle-order.
They did it in Hobart against Australia and they’ve done it here.
The diminutive Bavuma, who scored a gritty 50 in the previous match, continued his fine form in making 89. It’s the type of batting that will surely make any doubts about his suitability for Test cricket disappear.
Together, De Kock and Bavuma added 160 for the seventh wicket as they rescued their side from a precarious 94/6.
“The mindset I had going in was to somehow shift the pressure back on to them,” De Kock said.
“I didn’t want to get bogged down and the only way I knew forward was to play my natural game, but obviously a little more aggressively than usual.”
Kiwi off-spinner Jeetan Patel, who dismissed De Kock cheaply four times in a row during the last two one-dayers and first Test, had no answer against the left-hander, going wicketless in conceding 53 runs in his 12 overs.
Neil Wagner, who took the wickets of Bavuma, described the day as “a see-saw” and said despite conceding the lead the conditions meant New Zealand were still in the game.
“It’s obviously a lot easier now to bat on. The wicket has flattened out quite a bit obviously, so that’s quite good for us. Once the moisture in the morning goes away, after lunch it’s a lot easier to bat on,” said the former South African. – Additional reporting by AFP