From ridicule to redemption: Temba Bavuma and South Africa bury the ghosts of the past with WTC glory

April 27, 1994, was a significant step in South Africa's history. It was the first time democratic elections were held, which meant that people of all sections of the society were allowed to vote. Till then, all the powers were strictly with the white people of the country.

 

For approximately 46 years, the country suffered from being in an era of extreme racism, termed 'apartheid', a legal system of racial segregation that the then-ruling party imposed on the people. In fact, from 1970 to 1991, the country's cricket team was banned by the ICC due to apartheid practices. It meant that South Africa wasn't able to participate in international cricket during these two decades. The 1994 elections saw the official elimination of 'apartheid', giving way to a new hope for South Africa. 

 

Cut to June 14, 2025, and South Africa has eliminated its cricketing pandemic, known widely as the 'chokers' tag. 

 

After a 27-year wait, the senior men's side has won an ICC title, and it is only fitting that they have managed to do so under Temba Bavuma, the country's first black captain. It is also poetic justice that Bavuma contributed significantly towards the win, particularly in the second innings when he fought a dodgy hamstring to produce a nuggety support act that was as crucial as Aiden Markram's century.

 

If the captain needed to prove anything to anyone anymore, this was that hammer blow to settle all the chatter.

 

Thirty-one years since the first democratic elections, racial inequality still exists in South Africa, even if not at legal levels. Meanwhile, the black community in the country continue to battle unprecedented obstacles to make progress in life. There is unequal access to education, segregated communities and a massive gulf in economic imbalance between communities. All this even though the government has a dominant black representation.

 

This political scenario is precisely why the country needed a Temba Bavuma to happen. For a nation that lives and breathes cricket with an unconventional undertone, success had seemed elusive for a long time. In the 1990s and 2000s, South Africa's men's side was arguably among the most formidable outfits in international cricket. A 1998 ICC Knockout title win was a testament to this. Still, since the infamous semifinal loss to Australia in the 1999 ODI World Cup, the nation's cricketing legacy has been marred by the 'chokers' tag. This label has escalated with every passing ICC tournament since.

 

When South Africa lost the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup final to India, after needing just 30 runs off the last 30 balls, it felt like the Proteas might never win a silverware moment.

 

It didn't help South Africa's cricketing structure that there was a constant scanner on the 'quota system' implemented into the sport. In domestic cricket, teams are required to field at least six players of colour, including a minimum of three black African players. In international cricket, the number of black African players is a minimum of two, although this doesn't need to be followed for every game. When there isn't success on the field, it is only expected that the knives would be out, and instead of the Board or the system, it is the players who bear the brunt of it. 

 

Having debuted in 2008 on the domestic circuit, it took Bavuma close to six years before he represented South Africa at the senior level. He was never the quintessential Proteas player gifted with flamboyance, but what Bavuma always had was grit and mental fortitude. He also had a strong technique that was built on a solid defence. However, given his skin colour and the country's political backdrop, Bavuma had to constantly defy the chatter that would invariably resurface each time he failed on the cricket field. However, he never let that affect his gameplay, at least from the outside.

 

Born in Langa, a largely poverty-stricken township just outside Cape Town, Bavuma had always been a bright prospect in cricket. This is how he ended up with a scholarship at South African College School (SACS), one of the country's most prominent English-medium schools that was primarily the territory of the white population. It was an institution that mainly catered to the upper class of Cape Town, and Bavuma gained admission solely based on merit. 

 

In an interview with The Guardian prior to the WTC final, the South African captain reflected on how he had to work on every aspect of himself, starting with his mental health. 

 

 “It was tough integrating within the system, learning and understanding the [white] culture,” Bavuma remarked 

 

“But it helped that I came in as a cricketer. In terms of making friends, it was a bit easier. But I had to learn about discipline and etiquette, which are such big things in that culture."

 

"“I also had to learn confidence. Can you imagine taking a child from the township into a system where, basically, everything is there. There were always doubts. Am I good enough to be here? Do I deserve this opportunity? I always felt the need to prove myself.”"

 

The questions that Bavuma asked himself back then are the same ones that the public and pundits have continued to throw at him throughout his career. There had to be a flash point at some stage. In a year where underdog sporting teams across the world have eliminated their trophy drought - Tottenham Hotspur, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, to name a few - it was destiny for South Africa to break their jinx at ICC tournaments. That it had to come under Bavuma is the best thing to happen for the country's sporting landscape. 

 

He may not be as effective in the shorter formats in today's fast-paced era of white-ball cricket, but Test cricket is right down Bavuma's street. Maybe because it is a format that values grit and mental strength as much as skills. They also don't make many patient and solid batters like Bavuma either. His overall Test average is around 40, which may not appear outstanding, but as captain, Bavuma's average is above 60, and there has been a noticeable upward trend in his graph as a player since taking over the captaincy. Some players thrive on additional responsibility, and he is certainly one of those.

 

Bavuma's knocks in the WTC final are reminiscent of his career as a whole. Defiant, steely and calm even during the toughest of scenarios. Before his second innings masterclass, Bavuma had already shown his resolve in South Africa's first innings, where only he and David Bedingham had gotten past 20. Importantly for the Proteas, Bavuma's intent at the start of day two defined his character perfectly. There had been scathing criticism overnight about South Africa's overdefensive start to the innings, crawling as they did to 43/4 in 22 overs. Even in the trickiest of pitches, this approach in 2025 didn't make sense. Not when you have been unable to prevent the loss of wickets.

 

So, what did Bavuma do? Took the constructive criticism in his stride on behalf of the team and started the second day, leading from the front. There were a couple of aerial drives over cover, and notably, a strong focus on getting singles to rotate strike. This change in intent gave South Africa confidence, and while their batting crumbled under Pat Cummins' menace, the bowlers were inspired enough to keep fighting. Ultimately, the spells from Rabada and Lungi Ngidi on the second day meant that Australia couldn't fully capitalise on the pitch that was about to flatten out. 

 

Bavuma's second innings performance had more layers to it. While he walked out to a much better situation in comparison to the first innings, there was still a job to be done. Markram, though at his fluent best, had been known to misfire after getting good starts. This time, however, the opener dug in, and it helped that his strong-willed captain was by his side. However, Bavuma did have his share of problems with his dodgy hamstring, which often caused him to take a break in play. There was also a point when the pair contemplated him retiring hurt. 

 

Bavuma isn't a man to shy away from challenges, and he was adamant about wanting to bat on. Even if it meant an aggravation of the injury. South Africa's batting coach Ashwell Prince reveals how the pair were absolutely focused on getting the job done and praised his skipper's determination levels. The skipper may have fallen early on the third day, but his partnership with Markram on the second day was a primary reason why South Africa were able to get over the line. 

 

The fact that Australia caused a lot of pressure after breaking the partnership, even with very few runs to get, showed how tricky things could have become if the pair had been separated early. Prince admitted that the crucial decision wasn't an easy one to make for the pair or the team management.

 

"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," said Prince at the press conference after day two.  

 

"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."

 

In many ways, this innings was metaphorical of Bavuma's career, and to scale the peak with South Africa, creating history was the perfect script that wouldn't be out of place in a commercial action potboiler. Bavuma isn't the first black African sportsperson to take the nation to unprecedented success. Siya Kolisi had previously led the Rugby national side to successive World Cup titles, but there is a difference here. Unlike Rugby, where South Africa already had two World Cup titles prior to Kolisi's stint, cricket is where silverware had eluded the country for so long.

 

It is worth noting that the quota system in cricket is also in place for rugby; however, the sport's regular success has prevented critics from examining the matter. Cricket, however, was a different matter, as South Africa's teams over the years had to face constant dejection in ICC tournaments.

 

Make no mistake, a World Cup win in T20Is or ODIs is what will fully heal South Africa's scars of the past, but this WTC title win shows that there is hope in the future. The other significance of this win is a victory against Australia in a Cup final - only Sri Lanka in the 1996 ODI World Cup and England in the 2010 T20 World Cup had achieved this feat since the Aussies became a dominant force in cricket. 

 

For now, South Africa will celebrate long into the night and beyond, through the week ahead and more. And so they must. This is a significant moment in their country's sporting history, let alone cricket, and at the helm of affairs is a man whose personal rise could very well mirror the country's future.

 

Sporting success may not be a reliable barometer for measuring a country's political progress, especially when the nation has a storied past like South Africa. But people like Bavuma and their redemption stories will go a long way in changing the narrative of a country where political undertones are inevitably linked to sport.

 

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