Jansen and Bavuma help Proteas strengthen WTC final bid with thrashing of Sri Lanka

South Africa have leapfrogged from fifth place to second on the World Test Championship (WTC) table after their 233-run battering of Sri Lanka in Durban this week.

It was the two shortest men and the tallest man in the Proteas who delivered the goods for the home side.

First, skipper Temba Bavuma scored a characteristically fighting knock of 70 not out in trying batting conditions in the first innings to keep his side in the fight — none of his teammates scored more than 25.

He followed that up by reaching a third career century with a free-flowing 113 in the second innings. He was assisted brilliantly by Tristan Stubbs, who continues to impress in his young Test career with a second century, a well-crafted 122.

“That [innings] pretty much sums up Temba,” said red-ball coach Shukri Conrad at the post-match press conference. “He’s probably at his best when the backs are against the wall and when he needs to stand up.

“I quietly whispered to him yesterday that I thought that was his best hundred. I thought that was his best Test match that he’s played, given what’s gone before.

“He’s come off a long lay-off, and the way he battles through stuff really epitomises Temba. That is what we want to see in the side.”

The difficult early batting conditions aided the South African quicks, particularly lanky Marco Jansen who recorded career-best innings figures of seven wickets for 13 runs in only 6.5 overs to bowl Sri Lanka out for the lowest total in Test cricket at Kingsmead.

Marco Jansen during day 4 of the 1st Test match between South Africa and Sri Lanka on 30 November. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

The pitch flattened out as the match went on, which meant the Proteas’ bowlers had to toil for their wickets on day four on Saturday, with Jansen again the pick of the bowlers, collecting four wickets. His match figures of 11 for 86 were the best bowling figures at Kingsmead since Aussie Clarrie Grimmett took 13 pegs in 1936 at the ground.

South Africa now have 59.26% on the WTC standings, just behind leaders India on 61.11%. Australia are right behind on 57.69%, but South Africa’s destiny is in their own hands, with two wins in their last three matches of the WTC cycle enough to see them book a place in the final at Lord’s in June next year.

Getting hundreds

While the batting plaudits will deservedly go to Bavuma and Stubbs, their performances in Durban exemplify the growth the team has made in that department over the past season.

South Africa have scored nine hundreds in their last nine Test matches with eight different century scorers. Seven of them are Conrad’s current preferred top seven: Bavuma, Stubbs, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Kyle Verreynne, Tony de Zorzi and David Bedingham, while Dean Elgar has retired.

“There’s a lot to be said for confidence and feeding off each other,” Conrad explained about what has led to the improved batting.

“Once you get that first one — Aiden got the ball rolling in my first series [as head coach] against the West Indies and in the same series, Temba also got one.

“Then the group just gains confidence from that and there’s a lot of talk amongst them around the know-how and how to go about processes.

“There’s a lot of sharing of knowledge — not from us as coaches necessarily, but amongst the peers — so a lot has to be said from the confidence that they feed off and knowing that when conditions are really good that we have the ability to get hundreds.

“It’s really satisfying to know that.”

Improving while winning

Sri Lanka ended day three, on Friday, in a world of trouble on 103 for the loss of five wickets. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal fought valiantly, chasing an improbable 516 to win on day four.

It took 43 overs of grinding by the South African bowlers to dismiss both in-batters in the second session on Saturday.

It’s an experience Conrad is grateful for and believes it is an area his side can improve on.

“We played really good cricket on what was a tough wicket to bat on, first up — the overhead conditions and the rain had a lot to do with that,” he said.

“If there was anything, we still need to get better when it’s really tough, and that doesn’t necessarily equal getting 350s and 400s, but if we can minimise the loss of clusters of wickets and apply what we set out to do in terms of playing the conditions.

“The last couple of wins — and I say this with the utmost respect — have been relatively easy, and we needed a good hard toil, like we had [on the final day].

“Full marks to Chandimal and Dhananjaya for the way they played; it was good to see how we stuck at it.”

South Africa also only had the services of speedster Gerald Coetzee sporadically after the quick suffered a groin injury, bowling only 13 of the 80 total overs.

He has since been ruled out of the Test squad and replaced with 18-year-old left-arm quick Kwena Maphaka, who only recently finished his matric final exams.

The final match of the two-game series between South Africa and Sri Lanka begins on 5 December at St George’s Oval in Gqeberha. A victory will see South Africa with a foot in the WTC final. DM