Despite a comfortable 2-0 Test series win in West Indies, with an 87-run win at Centurion and a huge 284-run win at Wanderers, the Proteas’ batting department still has a lot to do.
Proteas Test batting has been down for a few years now, and they were brutally exposed on tour in Australia in December and January.
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However, they showed a slight improvement in the series against the Windies, with the Proteas batting department able to post three totals of more than 300.
However, in each round they have a struggle, and often have to rely on one dough for the guarantee of trouble.
That led to the emergence of captain Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram as the lightning rod of the batting department going forward.
Bavuma ‘father of a hundred’
Bavuma showed incredible character to bounce back from a horror performance on his captaincy debut, where he took a pair of ducks, with a remarkable performance in the second Test.
In the first innings he made just 28, but his career-best 172 in the second innings proved to be a match-defining innings that saw him named man-of-the-match.
“This is a lot, but the most important thing for the side. That’s what Temba and I talked about before the series. The second Test of the century was about burning for people and I said let’s forget about it. Let’s put all our energy on this side, ” said Proteas coach Shukri Conrad.
“We don’t have a side made up of Amla, Gibbs, Smith and Kallis, so let’s try to skin this cat in a different way. Really invest in the little things like partnerships, try to get 300 on the board and see where it goes .
“It is not a hundred babies, but a hundred fathers. It is a hundred that shape the fate can be from a series. We were crying out for him to take up the fight and bat his way, because that bowling attack is very skilled.
“I know a lot of people make light of it and say it’s only in the West Indies. But it’s a skilful bowling attack and for Temba to do that under pressure in those conditions, I think it’s huge.
Markram resurgence
For Markram to return to the Test side after missing the Australian tour due to poor form, it proved perfect as he was named man-of-the-series for his exploits with the bat.
In the first Test, scores of 115 and 47 were crucial in the Proteas starting the series with a win, with them backing up that effort with 96 in the first innings of the second Test, with the only real failure of 18 scored in the second innings.
Conrad explained that he had worked with Markram for a long time and knew what made him tick, so it was a no-brainer to bring him back into the team and support him at the top of the order.
“With a lot of these guys, I go back with them. I had them at the national academy level five or six years ago. So I know the character and I know with Aiden I just have to clear the thought process,” said Conrad.
“Get Aiden who’s relaxed and confident and he’ll progress up the order. I’ve only ever known how to open the batting. So for me it’s an easy call.
“It’s not about paying off the faith (it seems to him) it’s just him going out and riding the crest of the wave from SA20. All the stars seem to have aligned, so he’s doing what he’s doing.