BARNEY MTHOMBOTHI | Bavuma is owed more than congratulations, he is owed an apology

While the country rises in unison to congratulate the national cricket team on a splendid achievement in wiping the floor with India — the gods of the game — in their own backyard, there should be a special word for the captain. More than the applause and the high fives, Temba Bavuma deserves an apology, an absolute and unqualified mea culpa.

Nobody has taken more abuse and scorn from a section of the sporting public than Bavuma. His purported flaws or shortcomings were many. He didn’t deserve to be in the team; he was a quota player, a beneficiary of affirmative action. In any case, what’s he doing in cricket? Why can’t he just go play soccer? Some even made fun of his diminutive stature. And his almost interminable struggle to add to his lone debut century became yet another stick for his back.

Lean spells and constant injuries — the bane of every sportsperson — were also thrown in. It almost seemed as though connoisseurs of the game just didn’t believe this man should be allowed to hold a cricket bat, let alone represent his country. To some, he was probably more unpopular than Hansie Cronje after the revelation that he’d thrown games for Indian bookmakers.

And when Shukri Conrad, on taking over as national coach, nudged Dean Elgar aside and appointed Bavuma in his place as captain, the din of disapproval became deafening. It’s the end of the sport as we know it, his detractors chorused.

Bavuma took the criticism in his stride. He didn’t shout back or complain about the unfairness of it all. Forever calm, articulate and quietly spoken, he seems a man comfortable in his own skin. And he’s answered his critics the only way he knows — by playing the game and leading the team as best he could.

Slowly, the results started showing, and attitudes began to change. Bavuma got unwavering support from Conrad, his manager, who has taken every opportunity to express his high regard for him not only as captain but as the most important player in the team. And there’s no doubt, Bavuma has earned the complete confidence of the team as their leader.

The country possibly first realised Bavuma carried a wise head on his shoulders at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, which happened to coincide with the Black Lives Matter movement. Five hours before South Africa’s opening game against the West Indies, the Cricket South Africa board — probably fearing embarrassment if a team representing a society long disfigured by racism remained standing while the men from the Caribbean took the knee — instructed the Proteas to do likewise. Coming so late in the day, the ham-handed diktat had the possibility of destabilising the team — and it did. Quinton de Kock, opening batsman and wicket-keeper, decided to sit out the game in protest.

There’s a lesson for those who find themselves in Bavuma’s shoes: deeds speak louder than words

Fronting the world media after the game, Bavuma showed more maturity than his board had displayed. He didn’t condemn De Kock’s action but expressed surprise at the lateness of CSA’s edict. While everybody was piling on De Kock, calling him names, Bavuma decided to stick by his teammate. “I don’t think it’s as simple as just taking a knee,” Bavuma said.

“Quinton is an adult. We respect his decisions; we respect his convictions.” Although De Kock recanted and rejoined his teammates for the rest of the tournament, there’s no doubt the incident contributed to his early retirement from international cricket, a decision he has now reversed. He will hopefully open the batting with Bavuma in the ODI series against India in Ranchi today.

Playing far fewer matches than the big three of international cricket — Australia, England and India — the Proteas took many by surprise and put a few noses out of joint by qualifying for the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in June 2025. Former England captain Michael Vaughan, fresh from surviving the racism scandal that had embroiled Yorkshire cricket, expressed the collective annoyance of the critics when he sneeringly said South Africa got to the final “on the back of beating pretty much nobody”. One Australian notable disdainfully likened South Africa’s passage to “making it to the Wimbledon final without playing a seed on the way”.

It was all going to be over within three days, they said, with Australia giving the Proteas the biggest thumping of their lives.

It turned out they’d spoken too soon. The Proteas made them eat humble pie. Bavuma, hobbling from a hamstring injury, made a crucial half-century and accompanied Aiden Markram in compiling a 147-run partnership that turned the match in South Africa’s favour. Markram’s imperious 102 not out was probably the biggest knock of his career, which fittingly won him player of the match.

But this match-winning partnership nearly didn’t happen. Bavuma revealed later that he had turned down Conrad’s suggestion to retire after his injury. He wanted to complete the job with Markram. “It was a key moment within the game”, he said. Courage.

Defying the odds to win the WTC final meant South Africa was now at the top of the tree, the biggest triumph since Graeme Smith put the Proteas at the top of the world rankings in all three forms of the game 13 years ago.

By clinching the series 2-0 in India, the Proteas have conquered the last frontier, as it were. It’s the first series victory in India since Cronje’s team humbled the Indians 25 years ago, although that was unfortunately spoiled by his dalliance with the bookies. Cricket is revered like a religion in India, and such a loss is almost akin to an attack on its nationhood.

Bavuma has now notched 11 victories in 12 outings. A triumph over adversity. And there’s a lesson for those who find themselves in Bavuma’s shoes: deeds speak louder than words.