Temba Bavuma’s never-give-up mantra on batting at Lord’s with injury: ‘I went against advice from management, willing to deal with consequences’

“For me, it was that moment there to be recognised more than just a Black African cricketer, but to be seen as someone who’s done something that the country has wanted,” he said in the post-match press conference. “So I think that’s something that I’ll definitely walk around with my chest out. And again, I can hope that it inspires, it continues to inspire our country.”

Growing up at Langa, a township in Cape Town, nothing has come easy for Bavuma. He has played street cricket on roads named after venues he and his friends have heard on television, and here he was sitting at Lord’s with the WTC medal decorating him. “I never pictured myself playing here at Lord’s. I could only fantasise about it. That’s what was really reachable for us. Being captain, that was never a dream of mine. And now to have this opportunity, now to be in this position where you have won the mace for that country. I don’t think you really can write those type of stories,” Bavuma said.

When the WTC cycle was at the halfway stage, South Africa were nowhere in the picture to qualify for the final at Lord’s. The team that seemed to perennially attract the ‘chokers’ tag, particularly in ICC events, would turn things around in style. They would win 8 on the bounce, including the final, the most consecutive wins for any team since the WTC came into play in 2019. And right through the cycle, leading the run-charts for Proteas was the man himself, who scored 711 runs in 13 innings with two centuries and five fifties, including the one in the final. But as has been the case, he has seldom received credit for it. In the final at Lord’s, he battled a hamstring injury, a familiar foe of his, just as he did during the 2023 World Cup semi-final and was crucified for it. At Tea on Day 3, he was advised not to walk out with Markram, but nothing could stop him.

“I didn’t want to think of another option. I didn’t want to consider myself not being there with Aiden. It was a key moment within the game. I wasn’t at 100% fitness but I felt that I was good enough to still do the job. It was a tough decision. I can’t not think of the 2023 World Cup where it was a similar type of incident. But it was me backing my gut. I went against advice from management and I was willing to take whatever comes with it. It was very much an instinctive call, very much an egotistical call but I was happy to deal with whatever consequence that came with it,” Bavuma added.

Maybe facing such consequences in the past had only made him tougher. In his years growing up in Langa, and as part of South Africa’s cricket ecosystem, he has seen the likes of Hansie Cronje, Shaun Pollock, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers trip over hurdles to bring home a world title. In 2023, he was at Eden Gardens when they lost in the semifinals. In 2024, he saw his teammates led by Markram squander a winning position at Bridgetown. “It hasn’t been easy. It’s not easy being captain of South Africa,” Bavuma said of his journey. “And, you know, I guess all the sacrifices, all the disappointment at that moment… it feels worth it, you know, when you’re going through it all, giving up is always an option. It’s always there. It’s always there at the back of your mind, but something kind of holds you on.”