Domingo: Bavuma knows that he needs to convert those starts
PAARL: As an exercise in getting miles in the legs and oiling the cogs, it was mission accomplished. Dale Steyn got through his comeback match in white clothing unscathed, which was more important than him going wicketless.
Equally, Temba Bavuma spent a shade over two hours at the crease and stroked a delightful 70 off just 77 balls. In the context of the Proteas playing a Test match starting on Boxing Day in Port Elizabeth, everything went according to plan at Boland Park.
Bavuma certainly played with the sort of freedom that had eluded him for much of the recent T20 Challenge and would have been pleased with the way he stroked the pink ball, especially under the lights on Wednesday night when everyone else seemed to struggle with the change of conditions when the ball does begin to swing and seam a bit more.
The fact that he didn’t convert yet another half-century – an issue that seems to plague him higher up in the South African Test team – did not bother his former national team coach Russell Domingo, who is guiding the SA Invitational XI team in Paarl, though.
“Temba played really well. He spent time at the crease,” Domingo said. “He is fully aware that he needs to get those starts and convert it into big scores. He’ll get through it. He is clever enough and mature enough to figure it out.
“He is still young in his Test career, something like 20 Tests. I was watching a Hashim (Amla) interview the other day and he was speaking about the ups and downs in his first 20 Tests. Temba has actually had quite a decent start to his Test career. I am not concerned.”
The imminent return of AB de Villiers to the Test team after injury and a self-induced sabbatical has created speculation around which batsman in the Proteas line-up would have to be consigned to drinks duty to accommodate the former national captain. Domingo certainly thinks Bavuma has done enough over the past two years to warrant his selection regardless of De Villiers’ much-anticipated comeback.
“I was chatting to him (Bavuma) two days ago about some of the most memorable Test wins over the past 18 months and how he has rescued the South African team,” Domingo said. “I think of him and Quinny’s (de Kock) partnership in Wellington, his partnership with Quinny in Perth when we were under the pump. Their partnership in Hobart when we were under pressure. Those have been series-winning partnerships.
“He seems to thrive when the team is under pressure, and he needs to find the balance of performing when the pressure it not quite as intense as it (is) when the team is 70/5, and cashing when the side has set the game up nicely for him.”
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