South African batsman Temba Bavuma
- Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma says he tried to be brave during his gritty, match-winning ODI century against England in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
- Bavuma scored 109 to help lead South Africa to a five-wicket victory and seal the three-match ODI series.
- Bavuma admits that speaking to interim ODI coach Shukri Conrad helped him get through his routine mentally.
Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma said he needed to be brave as he battled mentally and physically for his third ODI century against England in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Bavuma struck a magnificent century to lead Proteas to a five-wicket victory to seal the three-match series 2-0 against England with one to play.
Chasing 343 for the win, Bavuma shared a 77-run starting position with Quinton de Kock (31) and a 97-run partnership with Rassie van der Dussen (38).
Bavuma, who was battling severe cramping during his innings, scored 109 off 102 balls (hitting 14 fours and one six) before he was bowled by Sam Curran.
“I was seeing the ball pretty well and just trying to score inside my boxes,” Bavuma told reporters on Sunday.
“Obviously I took a couple of opportunities that didn’t come up, but I tried to be as brave as I could be in terms of how I played.”
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The Proteas cue ball captain had come under fire after his sub-par performances over the summer and his subsequent snub from the SA20.
Prior to the second ODI at Mangaung Oval, Bavuma had gone 33 innings without a hundred to his name in all formats.
Bavuma admits he could not have broken the triple figure had he not spoken to current Proteas ODI interim coach Shukri Conrad.
“Obviously it’s been an emotional roller coaster in the last few months, and I guess for me it was just being vulnerable to the coach, telling him where I look and how I feel about everything,” Bavuma told reporters on Sunday.
“It helps that I’ve worked with Shukri (Conrad) before and he helped me cut out all the bullshit going on in my head and made sure I was mentally there for the game.
“I think being out of action for the last two weeks, being home and being out of the game, I think that helped me from a mental standpoint as well,” Bavuma said.
“Being as fresh as possible physically, probably not in the best shape, but mentally I felt like I’ve been good. People always talk about self-reflection and I went through that process.”
“I’ve been more open with the team and the way we like to do it and for me there’s a feeling that whatever happens, happens.”
The Proteas have already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against the reigning World Cup champions.
Wednesday’s final ODI kicks off at 1pm.
