3 reasons why Temba Bavuma is South Africa's most underrated Test batter
South Africa's current Test captain Temba Bavuma is often not in the spotlight and doesn't receive enough acknowledgment when compared to other players. However, he is among those who silently go about their business and more often than not, contribute to the team's cause with their performances.
Temba Bavuma may not be considered among the greatest batters in Test cricket but time and again, he has managed to prove his worth for South Africa. In their ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka in Durban, where the entire team struggled to put up runs, it was skipper Bavuma who led from the front with a crucial 117-ball 70, taking them to 191 in the first innings.
Even in the second innings, after a hurricane bowling effort from the hosts, Bavuma carried his form and was unbeaten on 82 off 174 deliveries at the time of writing, closing in on another Test hundred.
Arguably, the 34-year-old has been a consistent performer and a vital cog in South Africa's batting line-up as far as Test cricket is concerned. Undoubtedly, he is probably their most underrated Test batter at the moment, and here are three reasons why.
#3 Solid batting technique and runs against big teams
Temba Bavuma is a classic Test batter with excellent technique and is a sound batter, particularly strong off the back foot. His persistence and temperament stand out among the batters in the current squad.
Moreover, Bavuma has also scored decently against big teams like Australia, India, England, and New Zealand. He has 347 runs against Australia in 11 innings, 257 runs against England in 8 innings, and 289 runs against New Zealand in 9 innings, showing his capability to score against top nations and top bowling attacks in the world.
#2 Temba Bavuma is the only South African batter in the current squad with over 3000 Test runs
Among South Africa's current batting lot in the Test side, skipper Temba Bavuma is the only batter who has scored over 3000 runs. Keshav Maharaj (1159) and Aiden Markram (2625) are the only batters with over 1000 runs.
Bavuma has scored over 3200 runs from 103 innings with two hundreds and 23 fifties. Moreover, he has maintained an average of over 40 since 2022 and has been a consistent run-getter for South Africa.
Bavuma ended 2022 with 561 runs from 16 innings at an average of 40.07. In 2023, he scored 252 runs from six innings at an average of 50.40 and in 2024, his average is currently over 61.
#3 Scoring runs at home and away
While some batters excel more while playing at home than away, Temba Bavuma's Test numbers reflect that he has performed equally well both in South Africa and away.
The 34-year-old has scored close to 1800 runs in home Tests from 54 innings at an average of 41.51. While he has impressive numbers while playing at home, his performances in overseas conditions are noteworthy as well.
Playing away from home, Bavuma has scored 1459 runs from 49 innings at an average of 31.71, which also includes eleven half-centuries. This suggests that he has done reasonably well playing outside South Africa as well.