Captain Temba Bavuma on Monday said there is something special brewing in South Africa’s Test team after they won their seventh consecutive match, beating Pakistan by 10 wickets at Newlands, and they can now look forward to the World Test Championship final.
Only once before in their history have South Africa won more Tests in succession, when they claimed nine consecutive victories between 2002 and 2003.
Their recent wins have come against the West Indies and Bangladesh (two) away, and Sri Lanka and Pakistan (two each) at home. Some have suggested it has been a gentle run of fixtures, but Bavuma believes the team have other gears to go through.
Photo: AFP
“As much as we have got the success, I don’t think we are a well-oiled machine,” Bavuma told reporters. “We have seen in certain moments of the game that we have let it go too much in the opposition’s favor and it has taken some form of brilliance from us to bring it back.”
“When you speak about the special factor within the team, it is our ability to find a way [to win]. We are still on a journey and not close to playing 100 percent, but there is something special brewing within the team and it will be scary when we are firing on all cylinders,” he said.
The World Test Championship final is to be played at Lord’s in London from June 11 to 15 against arguably South Africa’s greatest cricket foe, Australia.
“We’ll prepare as well as we can, probably more mentally than anything,” Bavuma said. “We will stay true to what we have been doing as a team. We will have to adjust to the conditions in England and the opposition, but we will go out and fight.”
“There is a lot of competition within the [squad], which has brought out the best in individuals. We are motivated by winning. We have an opportunity to do something special for the country,” he said. “Everyone will run through a brick wall to make sure we get on the right side of the result.”
South Africa do not have a home Test scheduled until the visit of Australia in September next year, which has left Bavuma puzzled.
“The guys are super keen to play Test cricket and the fact there is a trophy available is a factor,” he said. “We have been able to fill stadiums with fans [at home] and we want to play a lot more.”
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
RSS