Australia vs South Africa 2016: David Warner praises Temba Bavuma's run-out effort
South Africa won the first of the three-match Test series against Australia on Monday, thanks to some fiery bowling by Kagiso Rabada. Though the Proteas displayed some all-round team performances, it was Temba Bavuma's run-out effort that stood out tall amongst the rest.
The right-hander displayed his acrobatic efforts in running out David Warner during the second innings. The effort took the fans and the cricketers across the globe by storm and Warner was no exception. The Australian batsman claimed that it was probably one of the best run-outs that he has ever witnessed.
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"What a fantastic run-out, that was absolutely superb," Warner was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia. "I only saw it when I got back into the change room and to throw a ball like that off balance and in mid-air is just phenomenal," he added.
Warner, who is considered to be one of the quickest between the wickets went on to say that Bavuma's effort was so exceptional that even if he had gone for a dive, he would still have been short of the crease. He said, "I don't think it warranted a dive either, I don't think it would have made a difference."
The left-hander was dismissed in the 13th over when Rabada banged the ball in short which Warner played with soft hands to drop the ball towards short cover. Bavuma who was stationed at point cut the angle, raced towards the ball, picked it up one-handed and then threw the ball which resulted in a direct hit. Warner, who seemed to be pretty confident at the first instance had to walk off after replays showed him just inches short of the crease.
Check out the video below.
(Video courtesy: Cricket Network Facebook page)
Also read: Front foot no ball costs Temba Bavuma a wicket off his first ball in international cricket
The opening batsman defended his decision of trying to go for a risky run saying that the Australian team had placed an importance on strike rotation during their fourth innings as they had a mammoth target of 539 runs to chase.
"I thought there was a quick single there. So I put my head down and I ran as I normally do," Cricket Australia quoted him as saying.
Bavuma's run-out effort proved to be instrumental in South Africa's win in Perth on Monday as the departure of Warner saw the Australian middle order struggling to combat the pace and swing of Rabada. The 21-year old claimed the Man of the Match award for his second innings spell of five-for-92 in his 31 overs.