Tough times seem to bring out the best in me, says Temba Bavuma

Temba Bavuma struck a career-best 179 on the third day of the second Test against Australia at St George's Park on October 20, 2026. South Africa recovered from a precarious 110-6 to post 425 for nine declared, with Bavuma's innings anchoring the recovery after the team resumed day three at 97-5. The South African captain batted through bowler-friendly conditions across the first two rain-shortened days before accelerating on the third morning.

Bavuma faced 334 balls and struck 18 fours and a six during his stay at the crease. Speaking after his innings, the captain reflected on the challenge of batting in difficult conditions and how adversity shaped his approach. This marked his fifth Test hundred and his first century against Australia, surpassing his previous Test top score of 172.

“Everything was in the bowlers’ favour [when he came to the crease]; the overheads, the pitch. We had lost two early wickets. I’ve found myself in those situations a number of times. It seems to bring out the best in me. From an approach point of view it wasn’t any different. I’ve always gone about it like that - got myself stuck in," said Bavuma in the press conference as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“I pride myself on getting the team into a competitive position. What was different, more from a personal point of view, was that this time I was able to put up a score,” he added.

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Bavuma's partnership with Marco Jansen yielded 132 runs for the seventh wicket off 186 balls, before Jansen departed after scoring 85. Following Jansen's dismissal, Bavuma formed a South African Test record eighth-wicket partnership with Simon Harmer. The pair added 182 runs, with Harmer contributing 82 to help push South Africa's total beyond 400. Bavuma acknowledged the contributions of his lower-order partners in stabilising the innings.

“Marco took the bowlers on. He was able to find the middle of the bat and the gaps in the field. Simon applied himself. They put a high price on their wickets," said Bavuma.

The captain's ability to construct a substantial innings with support from the lower order proved crucial in building a competitive total. Bavuma reflected on the difficulty of maintaining his approach throughout the extended innings.

"I wouldn't say it was easier to bat. From a mindset point of view, for me nothing really changed. I was always trying to be as tight as I could and trying to hit the ball as straight as I could. And to extend that gameplan for as long as I could, he said. I never really felt in. Every now and then a ball would of jump off a length or nip around. But once the ball got a bit soft you did feel a little bit more comfortable," said Bavuma.

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Bavuma was eventually caught behind off Mitchell Starc with half an hour remaining in the day. Australia's reply began with Nic Maddinson falling in the first over, edging Kagiso Rabada to the slips for a duck. South Africa held a 1-0 series deficit after Australia won the first Test by 214 runs at Kingsmead from October 9-13, 2026. Looking ahead to Australia's innings, Bavuma stressed the importance of South Africa's bowling performance over the remaining two days.

"If we're going to get on the right side of the result we're going to have to spend the majority of those two days in the field, he said. Mentally for us we need to prepare for that overnight. There's still something in the pitch, especially with that new ball. If we can get the ball in the right place for a considerable amount of time anything can happen. We want to go for the win and we'll do as much as we can to bring that to life," Bavuma concluded.