Why SA Didn't Retire-Hurt Temba Bavuma In WTC Final: 'Markram Was Adamant...'

Why SA Didn't Retire-Hurt Temba Bavuma In WTC Final: 'Markram Was Adamant...'

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Last Updated: June 14, 2025, 08:04 IST

South Africa considered retiring out Temba Bavuma but both he and Aiden Markram were 'adamant' that he continued.

Temba Bavuma raises his bat to the Lord's balcony (Picture Credit: AP)

South African batting coach Ashwell Prince has revealed that Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram were ‘adamant’ that the skipper should not retire hurt despite his hamstring injury during the third day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. Prince said they were considering taking him off, knowing that it could hamper the running between the wickets, but Markram was ready to adjust.

Bavuma went down with the issue when he was batting at 6, and the physios took a long time to treat him during the Lunch break. When he decided to play on, he constantly hobbled and South Africa couldn’t convert twos into threes. But the understanding between the duo was tangible as they worked their way through, eventually putting up a historic 143*-run stand bringing the Proteas 69 runs away from glory at stumps.

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“We had to make a big call whether he continues to bat and how it will affect his strokeplay, how that might affect Aiden’s rhythm," Prince was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “If twos are being turned into one [or] they can’t run the twos or the threes. Both of them were adamant that Temba was going to continue. He wanted to continue.

“Aiden was adamant that the partnership is the key. Obviously, had [Tristan] Stubbs gone in, we would have still had Temba’s wickets intact, but you start a new partnership. They were feeling pretty good and they wanted to continue. Aiden was well aware that he’ll have to curb his intensity just in terms of running between the wickets to allow Temba to ease his way through it."

Markram remained unbeaten at 102 while Bavuma was at 65. Although both have had their shares of off-field troubles and dealt with excessive criticism in the past, the latter’s has been more targeted and brutal. But just like his batting and captaincy, Bavuma has endured and endured, picking his moments on the way.

He’s now on the brink of the greatest moments of them all.

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“Temba is tough," Prince said. “Aiden has great respect for Temba. In fact, I think this team’s greatest strength is the unity that they have in this camp… they are well aware that South Africa have had much greater individual players, but they’ve got something special going on in that dressing room, and that sort of helps them to drag each other along."

“He (Bavuma)’s had to fight throughout his career, and this could be a defining moment for his career," Prince added, holding himself back a bit. “I believe it’s the biggest stage of in terms of Test cricket. Maybe I should answer the question after the game."

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First Published: June 14, 2025, 08:02 IST

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