Ben left blazing by tiny Temba
Even the heat of newlands was no mat c h for the temperature of the steam coming out of Ben Stokes’ ears as the man who produced one of the great Test innings found himself getting a taste of his own medicine.
Stokes could not believe it when Temba Bavuma, the pint- sized batsman many believe is playing here only because of the colour of his skin, inside-edged him for four at the start of a superlative century that led South Africa to safety.
‘ You are absolutely s***,’ mouthed Stokes at the l ocal township boy whose unbeaten 102 not out extinguished any faint hopes england had of winning this second Test.
It summed up the niggle that was never far from the surface on the fourth day of this pivotal match as england’s frustration at not being able to carve out a winning position threatened to boil over.
Yet throughout it all Bavuma, all 5ft 3in of him, stood tall to play an innings that could have far more significance than keeping the walls of South Africa’s fortress intact and their hopes in this series alive.
When england suddenly broke through with a spell of three wickets for 10 runs after lunch, the door was ajar and their hopes of ending a long run without a win in Cape Town were back on.
enter Bavuma, with South Africa 180 behind england’s 629 and again in danger of tumbling to a defeat that would have had far-reaching consequences for the team still rated as the best in the world.
english tempers had already been fraying during another long, hot day when they did themselves no favours by squandering just about every chance that came their way with inexplicably poor fielding.
Jimmy Anderson was warned for running on the pitch and told to cut out the verbals by umpire Aleem Dar, which briefly and bizarrely resulted i n england communicating in sign language and Alastair Cook shooshing his players.
Then, after double centurion Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock had fallen in quick succession, came the glimpse of the hot-head temperament that is just as big a part of Stokes’ make-up as his rare ability.
Bavuma, on eight when he Chinese-cut Stokes, was unmoved as he went on to become the first black African to score a Test century for South Africa with a thrilling array of strokes that made a mockery of the belief that he was simply a quota selection.
england struggled to take in what they were watching. They were convinced after Durban that Bavuma, with just one halfcentury against Bangladesh in his previous six Tests, was little more than a walking wicket.
His selection ahead of JP Duminy smacked of political interference — with t he unwritten r ule insisting that South Africa include four players ‘of colour’, one of which must be a black African — and england clearly expected to dispose of him quickly. Instead this assured 25-year- old showed he belongs in the team on merit.