By Ross Roche.
Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma struck a heroic century, as his side stumbled their way to 222 all out batting first in the opening ODI of their five match series against Australia at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Thursday afternoon.
Bavuma was given two lifelines, dropped on two and 88, but he brilliantly made the Aussies pay as he was almost man alone, carrying his bat superbly through the innings to finish unbeaten on 114 off 142 deliveries, having struck 14 fours and a six along the way.
The Proteas innings got off to a very slow start as Quinton de Kock (11) and Bavuma struggled against some very accurate bowling from openers Marcus Stoinis and Josh Hazelwood who kept them in check.
Bavuma received his first lifeline in the sixth over as the first ball from first change Sean Abbott found the outside edge and flew to point where Ashton Agar dived to his left trying to take a one handed grab but dropped the chance.
De Kock’s difficult innings that lasted for 31 deliveries finally came to an end in the ninth over as he tried to pull a short ball from Stoinis for six, only to find Cameron Green on the long leg boundary with them 19/1.
New man Rassie van der Dussen (8) didn’t last long as a disastrous mix-up at the end of the 12th over saw him sent back and run out as they slipped to 33/2.
In the 16th over Bavuma, on 24, was given out LBW to Agar, but he reviewed and the decision was overturned with the ball clearly going down the leg side.
Aiden Markram (19) looked positive as he cracked three boundaries in a short innings, but having driven Green nicely through the covers for four at the start of the 19th over, he then tried to pull a short delivery only to get a top edge, with keeper Alex Carey running around and taking a diving catch to send him on his way, leaving them on 70/3.
Bavuma desperately needed a partner and looked like he might get it in Heinrich Klaasen (14) but he was unfortunately undone by a Stoinis delivery that pitched short and kept low, creeping under his bat to bowl him.
The Proteas were struggling at that stage on 97/4, with them falling into deeper trouble on 100/5 as David Miller fell for a second ball duck, feathering a ball from Hazlewood to Carey in the 26th over.
Budding all-rouder Marco Jansen, 32 off 40 balls (3×4; 1×6) then came in and provided Bavuma with the partnership he was craving as the two set about a positive 57-run sixth wicket stand, by far the biggest of the innings.
This allowed Bavuma to bring up his half century with a single in the 29th over, while they passed the 150-run mark in the 36th over.
Jansen’s dismissal in the next over bowled by Hazelwood then sparked a mini collapse as Gerald Coetzee (2), Kehsav Maharaj (2) and Kagiso Rabada (1) all followed in quick succession as they slipped to 185/9.
With just Lungi Ngidi left Bavuma knew he had to attack and after slamming back to back boundaries off Abbott in the 45th over, he skied a ball from Adam Zampa in the 46th, only for Carey to drop the easy chance.
This allowed the skipper to bat on and in the 48th over he took advantage, pulling Zampa over deep midwicket for six and then pulled a boundary to the same region to reach his hundred in style.
He managed to strike a few more lusty blows, cracking three boundaries in Hazlewood’s penultimate over, before Ngidi was finally last man out caught behind for a 10 ball duck.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada
Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa