“I’m still here and I still deserve to be where I am.”
His innings of 109 from 102 balls has been described by commentators and former captains Shaun Pollock and Ashwell Prince as the best they have seen Bavuma bat in international cricket, not only because of his clean hitting and quick scoring But also in the context of this century. Came in.
Bavuma has spent the last year on an “emotional rollercoaster”, with questions being raised about his place in South Africa’s white-ball teams and his ability to score quickly to keep up with modern batting trends. Painful, but also valid, question.
Bavuma said, “Emotionally it can be exhausting and it can be overwhelming. As much as you try to stop it, it overwhelms you.” “The biggest thing is when it affects the people around you – your family. As a sportsperson, I have my own ways of dealing with it. It’s a part of the journey.”
But that doesn’t mean it was easy. “We all go through ups and downs, whether in our careers and family life,” Bavuma said. “Difference [with professional sportspeople] It’s that it’s in everyone’s eyes and everyone wants a piece of you. It’s about trying not to be emotional as much as you can and seeing things clearly as they are. Stopping the noise is something you have to do but it’s absolutely impossible, especially in the position I find myself in as captain.”
So Cricket South Africa offered him as much quiet time as possible. When Bavuma returned from the T20 World Cup, he, along with Kagiso Rabada, were the only two players not required to play red-ball cricket in preparation for the festive Test series against Australia, in order to recover from mental-health conditions. Can take a break Bavuma finished as South Africa’s most successful batsman on an otherwise disastrous tour, scoring 185 runs at 37.00 in a 2–0 series defeat.
When he came home from that tour, Bavuma had two weeks off before this series as SA20 was launched, and this allowed him to clear his head. “Staying out of the game for the last two weeks, staying at home and away from the game has also helped me,” he added. “Physically, I’m probably not in the best shape, but mentally I am. I’m a little more open to the team and how we would like to go about things.”
He also came into an environment with a new coach (albeit only temporarily in white-ball cricket). Bavuma has worked domestically with Shukri Konrad. And after the pair were seen deep in conversation in Bloemfontein, she revealed that Conrad had helped her work through some of her doubts.
“My conversation with Shukri helped,” Bavuma said. “It was just about being vulnerable for the coach about where I see myself and how I feel about everything. He helped me clear out all the crap going on in my head and helped me get through the series.” Helped me get ready.”
But he would not reveal much. “It was just him giving me an ear, listening to me and validating my feelings. The biggest thing is getting your mind in the right state to play the game. Shuks is not a therapist. What I really enjoyed was the honesty and frankness they provided in the chat.”
Whatever was said, apparently worked. Bavuma showed his intent in the first match, although he scored only 36 runs. However, he scored off 28 balls to give South Africa a good start and made good tactical decisions in the field (such as holding back Sisanda Magala for the middle overs) which gave South Africa the lead in the series.
Then, he brought out the big guns. Chasing a record 343 at Mangaung Oval, Bavuma was a batsman transformed. He dismissed Quinton de Kock in his first 25 balls with five fours and a six to bring himself up with a hundred for the ages, and after overcoming a bout of cramps, a celebration for the match.
“Getting to that moment was quite emotional.” They said. “The celebration was not planned. It was a reminder to me and to everyone else that I am still here and I still deserve to be where I am.”
Bavuma put down his bold strokeplay to a mentality of “looking to score, looking to dominate the bowlers”, and South Africa’s approach which is less about results and more about setting up a style of play that they are certain to follow. Can plan for years. “We have made it clear to ourselves that our focus is on the process, but not so much on the result,” Bavuma said.
For him, he had this message: “I’m sure other people are going through what I went through. You have to find a way to keep going. Don’t give up. Keep going.”
Firdaus Monda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent
