… but Bavuma still blue.
Telford Vice / Sydney Cricket Ground
THE bespectacled fella in the Virat Kohli shirt who caught the six that Rilee Rossouw heaved over square leg into the Bill O’Reilly Stand to take South Africa past 100 in their T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh at the SCG on Thursday didn’t do the obviously urgent.
Instead of throwing the ball more or less back from whence it came with something like haste he looked at his prize for a long moment. Maybe he was asking himself: “What would Virat do?” Then he hurried a few paces along a row of seats, picked up a phone and snapped a selfie. Only after that apparently essential act did he do the needful.
As if that wasn’t a neon enough sign of changing times, immediately Tristan Stubbs came to the crease in the 15th over he reverse swept Afif Hossain for four as matter-of-factly as if he was checking his social media feeds. If the kids are hitting first-ball fours like that after an hour spent sitting in the dugout, they’ll be alright.
At 29, Soumya Sakar isn’t quite a kid. But he flicked the first ball he faced over square leg for six nevertheless. And the second. That those full, legside deliveries were served up by Kagiso Rabada, who bowled Soumya and had him caught at second slip for nine and three the only other time the players have clashed — in a Test in Bloemfontein in October 2017 — spoke volumes for the Bangladeshi’s skill and confidence.
Sadly, Stubbs lasted only seven balls and Soumya just six. Rossouw, a more old-fashioned thumper of a batter, stuck around for 56 to make his second century in as many T20I innings and his highest score — 109 — to power South Africa to 205/5, their highest T20I total against Bangladesh.
All of 163 of those runs flew off the bats of Quinton de Kock and Rossouw, the third-highest stand for South Africa in their 162 T20Is. They faced a touch more than 70% of the innings together and scored almost 80% of the runs. Rossouw showed a level of belligerence at Bangladesh’s largely flaccid bowling that made even De Kock’s 38-ball 63 look pedestrian.
The largely Bangladesh-supporting crowd started the match by applauding dot balls. By the time Rossouw dabbed a single to short midwicket to nab the strike at the end of the 15th over, there might have been a smattering applause for that, too. At least, if you follow the fans’ logic, it wasn’t another four or six.
When Rossouw reached three figures, in the 17th with a single past point off Shakib Al Hasan, he screamed and wielded his bat like a broadsword and sank to both knees on the outfield and, perhaps, prayed and raised a fist. When he was back on his feet he pointed his bat, with purpose, his green blood pumping hard, at the dugout. Was he ever really a Kolpak player? Was he ever away? Has he finally learnt to spell Russell Domingo’s name?
That done, Rossouw eased the next ball he faced many metres over long-on for his eighth six. Soon he was rapping his gloved hand against his bat in time to the music coming from the stadium loudspeakers. After he blipped a catch to cover off Shakib 10 balls from the end of the innings, he allowed himself a long and celebratory walk away from the 90 minutes of freedom he had experienced in the middle. He was a picture of excited contentment, if such a thing is possible.
The contest was effectively decided at the innings break. Bangladesh’s required runrate, 10.3 at the start of their reply, climbed past two runs a ball after eight overs and reached 20 after 14, by which time they had slumped to 85/8 on their way to being dismissed, rudely, for 101. Anrich Nortjé and Tabraiz Shamsi claimed a combined haul of 7/30, and Nortjé’s 4/10 is his career-best.
South Africa’s unalloyed triumph took the edge off the unsatisfying end to their match against Zimbabwe in Hobart on Tuesday, which was washed out on the cusp of victory. But one among them did not depart the SCG entirely satisfied.
Temba Bavuma left the first ball of the match — bowled by Taskin Ahmed — squeezed two through point, pulled flatly to mid-on for no run, blocked the next delivery, inside edged the one after that past his stumps, and feathered the last ball of the over and was caught behind. The Bangladeshis’ appeal was still in the air as Bavuma’s chin sunk into his chest. He tucked his bat under his arm and, without looking at anyone, including the umpire, walked.
As long as South Africa keep winning, and assuming he doesn’t bat his way back into form soon, Bavuma will be able to keep a lid on his disappointment. He can thank Rossouw, Nortjé and Shamsi for helping him do so this time. But, when he turns out the light in his hotel room on Thursday, the dread will be there in the dark waiting for him.
First published by Cricbuzz.
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