Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma revive SA
The two Proteas may have got within sight of a Test century, but they deserve praise for helping to pull the team from 94/6 to 349/9
Wellington — Batsmen who get themselves out within sight of a Test century should not expect too much praise — what happened to those last few runs? But Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma‚ who scored 91 and 89 for SA on day two of the second Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Friday‚ do not deserve to be held to that measure. For one thing‚ it is simplistic: the only real difference between 90 and 100 is a marginal 10 runs; nothing more‚ nothing less. For another‚ it does not take into account the wider context of a day’s play that ended with SA on 349/9 in reply to New Zealand’s first innings of 268 — a lead of 81. De Kock and Bavuma’s runs were realised after SA had dwindled to 94/6‚ and the recovery they started made this only the 10th time in 946 innings that a team who has lost six wickets for fewer than 100 have reached 300. Those vital runs were scored by batsmen who have been glancing over their shoulder at an advancing dark cloud of pressure. De Ko...
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