Temba Bavuma hit a career-high 179 on the third day of the second Test against Australia on October 20, 2026, at St George’s Park. After the team resumed day three at 97-5, Bavuma’s performance helped South Africa recover from a scary 110-6 deficit to 425 for nine declared. Before stepping up the pace on the third morning, the South African captain batted in bowler-friendly conditions for the first two rain-shortened days.
Temba Bavuma faced 334 balls and scored 18 fours and a six. The captain spoke about the difficulty of batting in difficult conditions and how it influenced his style of play after his innings. With this, his fifth Test century and first against Australia, he beat his previous Test high score of 172 runs.
Temba Bavuma and Jansen put up 132 runs for the seventh wicket off 186 balls before Jansen exited at 85. After Jansen was dismissed, Bavuma and Simon Harmer created a South African Test record eighth-wicket partnership. The two contributed 182 runs to South Africa’s total of 400, with Harmer adding 82.
Temba Bavuma thanked his lower-order teammates for helping to settle the innings.
Building a competitive total was primarily reliant on the captain’s ability to put together a significant innings with help from the lower orders. Temba Bavuma reflected on how difficult it was to maintain his approach throughout the extended innings.
Temba Bavuma was eventually caught behind Mitchell Starc with only 30 minutes remaining in the day. Nic Maddinson fell in the first over of Australia’s reply, sending Kagiso Rabada to the slips for a duck. Australia won the first Test by 214 runs at Kingsmead on October 9-13, 2026, leaving South Africa with a 1-0 series deficit. Bavuma stressed the importance of South Africa’s bowling performance over the following two days in preparation for Australia’s innings.
Aarav Sharma writes about cricket news, match updates, team performances, and major moments from the game.
