Proteas’ senior stars shone when the lights were brightest at SuperSport Park

Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen shared a special 50-run partnership (Jansen (16 off 24; Rabada (31 off 26) to steer the team home when the pressure was at its highest. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

29 Dec 2024

South Africa suffered two batting collapses in the second innings against Pakistan. Both times a senior pair steadied the ship.

The Proteas secured a memorable two-wicket victory over Pakistan to seal their spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, thanks to their most senior players standing up and being counted when the pressure was highest.

Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada were all able to counter the tension-filled cauldron while the rest of the team mostly fell flat.

rabada Bowling spearhead Kagiso Rabada of the Proteas excelled with the bat on day four of the first Test against Pakistan at SuperSport Park in Centurion. (Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images)

The nervous energy was palpable from the start of play on day four, among spectators and players at SuperSport Park, with the knowledge of a place at the World Test Championship final at stake.

South Africa started the day requiring 121 runs for victory with their two most senior batters at the crease — Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma.

Bavuma was there after Tony de Zorzi (two off 13), Ryan Rickelton (zero off five) and Tristan Stubbs (1 off 10) were dismissed in the evening session on day three after a brilliant late spell of bowling by Mohammad Abbas and Khurram Shahzad, who combined to trap all three LBW.

The aforementioned trio have played fewer than 30 Test matches between them and struggled to handle the first real period of quality bowling in the match. It left the team on 27 for the loss of three wickets overnight.

“Pressure does massive things to you and we’re an inexperienced side … and the WTC final weighs on you,” red-ball coach Shukri Conrad said after the match. “You want to get there and you actually don’t mind how you get there.

markram Aiden Markram of South Africa steadied the ship with captain Temba Bavuma. (Photo: Christiaan Kotze / Gallo Images)

“For the growth and where we want to take this Test side, we want to be a lot more clinical, more consistent and more resilient, especially with the bat when the opposition are bowling and the conditions are tough; we need to be able to be tough as well.”

Luckily Markram and Bavuma steadied the ship overnight and on the morning of day four, putting on 43 runs in 94 probing deliveries.

They absorbed the pressure and turned it back on the bowlers when loose balls presented themselves.

Another collapse

Markram was unfortunate to get out to an Abbas ball that didn’t bounce above shin height and clattered his off stump.

Bavuma took the attack to the Pakistani bowlers for a short period, but was soon caught behind by a delivery he didn’t edge and didn’t review — still contributing the highest score for his team.

From there the inexperienced lower middle-order ensured the team’s second batting collapse of the innings. David Bedingham, who was playing in his 11th Test match and only his fifth at home, felt for a delivery outside off stump off Abbas and lost his wicket.

Corbin Bosch, who is on debut and scored a fantastic unbeaten 81 in the first innings, fell in the same fashion.

Kyle Verreynne, who has the fourth most caps in the playing XI, was clean bowled by Naseem Shah in between Abbas’ scalps in a 15-minute period of chaos.

“We’ve achieved success relatively quickly as a team,” Bavuma explained about his side’s youthfulness. “It’s not a case of having loads of experience within the team.

“Yes, you have myself, Keshav, KG, who’ve played 50-plus games, but other than that there’s not much from an experience point of view.

“In certain situations, that will get shown up – that inexperience – fortunately the ability is there within the team.”

It needed a special 50-run partnership from Marco Jansen (16 off 24) and Kagiso Rabada (31 off 26) to steer the team home when the pressure was at its highest.

“It’s massive,” Bavuma said about the senior players taking charge on day four. “Experience is one thing, but in big games you need your big players to stand up.

jansen rabada Kagiso Rabada (left) and Marco Jansen (right) shared a special 50-run partnership (Jansen (16 off 24; Rabada (31 off 26) to steer the team home when the pressure was at its highest. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)

“A guy like Marco Jansen also came through. The way he bowled in the second innings, he brought us back into the game.”

“[Aiden] showed why he’s a guy that we back fully within the team. In games like these, you need your main players to stand up.

“You can’t rely on your younger players, but in the same vein you want your younger players to learn the lessons from their mistakes and make sure that when they’re in those situations later on in their careers, that they can do it for the team.”

Kagiso Ra-Lara

Rabada’s knock was particularly impressive, smoking five fours off Pakistan’s red-hot quicks.

“Just the composure the two of them showed out there was unbelievable,” Conrad said of Jansen and Rabada. “Marco was unbelievable with the intensity and KG – there were visions of Brian Charles [Lara] at times.”

It’s only Rabada’s sixth-highest score in Test cricket, but one the pace ace rates as his best ever.

“Without a doubt,” he said about if it was his best. “With a lot of pressure on, it’s without a doubt one innings that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

If the Proteas are to be successful at the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June next year, they’ll need more than only their four stalwarts who can handle the pressure. DM

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Another collapse

Kagiso Ra-Lara