90/0 in the 10th over. 129/1 after 16. Chasing 298 from there on, in the remaining 34 overs, should have been pretty easy. However, Australia collapsed to 230 all out, as South Africa pulled off a remarkable comeback.
For Aussie cricket followers, this has become more of a regularity now – batting collapses. The problem is that there is no one particular reason. Yes, spin has been their Achilles’ heel, but they have struggled against pace as well. The batters are unable to find the right line between fearlessness and recklessness, and keep throwing their wickets away.
However, this is about the Saffas. This is the start of a massive home season for them, featuring Australia, Bangladesh and England. And they could not have dreamt of a better start.
But it was not all rosy early on. Being put in, the home side crept to 40/2 after 10 overs before the middle order rallied and then counterattacked to hammer more than 250 runs in the remaining 40 overs. And then, with the ball, Mitchell Marsh hammered them such that the Proteas were already looking downcast. What happened then?
Salute to Temba Bavuma. One of the most underrated captains in world cricket. Remember, it was under Bavuma that South Africa won their first ICC title after 27 years, beating Australia in the World Test Championship final. Taking a backstep and accepting defeat is not written at all in Temba’s book.
Bavuma did notice that the new ball was being hammered. But never did he let his belief waver. He kept believing and also instilled in his team that it was all about the matter of a wicket. And eventually, it proved to be true.
After leaking runs at more than 9 per over for the first 10 overs, the hosts conceded less than 6 rpo for the next 5 overs. They did not pick up a wicket, but the pressure was being built slowly. And then, it happened.
Travis Head tried to whip one to the leg side, but Marco Jansen’s off-cutter held onto the pitch, forcing the ball to come a lot later than anticipated. As a result, a leading edge was induced which flew to deep third, and Head was dismissed. That opened the floodgates.
The Proteas rallied around one another and were cock-a-hoop. Yes, they needed Head’s wicket, but a plan had come to fruition. Bavuma then got his wily spinner Keshav Maharaj to bowl, and runs became a premium to come by.
The Aussies, struggling to score, tried to hit their way out of trouble and the collapse began. Wickets just kept on falling, and what was looking like a day of despair for the home side turned into a raucous atmosphere, with the crowd enjoying every bit of its team fighting back. It eventually turned out to be spin to win, with the duo of Keshav Maharaj and Bjorn Fortuin sharing 6 wickets, but in reality, it was a total team effort.
South Africa’s comeback teaches us to always maintain high self-belief. Our backs might be against the wall, and things might seem next to impossible, but in such a case, there is always one certainty – with no way back, the only way remaining is the way ahead.
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