Despite their contrasting batting styles, Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock showed the temperament to spend time in the middle, underlining a key difference between the two sides
Firdose Moonda in Hobart14-Nov-20160:33
‘De Kock’s consistency fabulous’
South Africa got an early sighting of the future on the third day of the Hobart Test and the good news is that it appears bright. In Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock, they have a middle-order pair who balance caution and creativity, and at 26 and 23 years old respectively, could serve them for at least the next five years.Both have roots in Johannesburg, the city of gold, where they each attended prestigious sporting schools – Bavuma was at St Davids, de Kock at King Edward VII – and played for the Lions. But it is here in Hobart, some might say the city of cold, where their Test tryst has truly blossomed. They put on 144 together, the highest sixth-wicket partnership by a visiting team at the Bellerive Oval, and stretched South Africa’s lead to what may turn out to be a match-winning one.Quinton de Kock on…
His partnership with Bavuma: “We have grown up batting together. We understand each other well. We are good friends. We get along well too. It’s nothing new to us. We were just going about our business and we respect the way each other bats.
Facing spin: Nathan [Lyon] is a quality bowler. It’s just one or two shots that flew into my head that I played. Instinctive shots. He bowled really well to me. To be a spinner in Australia is not easy. You must understand he has done exceptionally well and you must respect that.
Dean Elgar’s dropped catch: I just saw Dean duck. I didn’t know whether to laugh or to do what at that point. He is a great slip fielder. He can make mistakes. He is going to take some blinders. He will take one or two key catches.
South Africa’s chances of winning: We are fairly confident, but it’s not going to be easy. They are batting really well. We’re going to have to see what happens tomorrow. Usman has a good game plan and Steve Smith always does well. There’s a lot of work ahead.
In a morning session that ground Australia’s attack down, Bavuma and de Kock underlined the difference between the two sides. It’s not just that South Africa’s batsmen have the temperament to spend time in the middle, it’s that their newer batsmen do. Australia’s middle-order has not yet shown that temperament. It isn’t the first time on this tour that Bavuma and de Kock have done this – in Perth, South Africa were 81 for 5 when the pair come together and added 71, which helped the visitors move to 242.In Hobart, when Bavuma and de Kock came together on the first day, South Africa were already ahead. They had recovered from 76 for 4, when Bavuma had walked in to bat, to 132 for 5. Bavuma was on 28 off 51 balls, had survived a few early scares and earned the praise of former South Africa captain Graeme Smith. “I love Temba Bavuma, keep going big man,” Smith tweeted.If South Africa were to extend their advantage, Bavuma needed a partner and that’s where de Kock was crucial. They complemented each other perfectly.Bavuma has already shown an appetite for a fight. In Perth, he spent two hours and 17 minutes helping Faf du Plessis save South Africa from a first-innings collapse. He has an ability to absorb pressure.De Kock has the capacity to transfer pressure back to the bowler. He is an energetic player who does not allow anyone to dictate his approach. Perhaps, he has a bit of the David Warner license to play his natural game, but he does not abuse that. He is inventive, risk-taking and quick-scoring.With a stubborn batsman at one end and a busy one at the other, Australia spent the morning session under the pump. They were able to make things look more difficult for Bavuma, especially in Mitchell Starc’s opening spell. He moved the ball away, probed the area outside off stump, trying to incite the drive, but Bavuma was not tempted. He is a compact player with a tight technique, who makes the opposition work for his wicket. Josh Hazlewood almost claimed it – he got a ball to kick up and Bavuma nearly played on while trying to fend it. He survived and got two off the next ball to reach his second fifty on this tour.De Kock had begun the day 10 runs behind Bavuma, but caught up quickly. His fifty came off 70 balls, and then he surged past Bavuma. While Bavuma fought through the 50s, de Kock raced to 80. He created run-scoring opportunities by playing late, piercing gaps and maintained a consistent scoring rate throughout his innings. De Kock’s first fifty had taken him 70 balls and the second took 69. “Instinctive shots” is how he described what he did on Monday.Compare that to the 119 balls Bavuma faced for his fifty, and you have an idea of the difference between them. For a team, having two players of this calibre is ideal and the results are showing.In this year, de Kock has scored 560 runs in six Tests at an average of 80.00, while Bavuma has accumulated 465 runs in seven Tests at 58.12. Hashim Amla – 611 runs at 55.54 – is the only South Africa batsman to have scored more runs in 2016.Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma’s 144-run stand was the highest for the sixth wicket by an overseas pair in Hobart•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesAmong de Kock’s knocks was a maiden hundred in Centurion and five successive scores of fifty or more, including this century. His consistency has cemented him in the Test XI and comparisons with the best are mushrooming. The most notable one is with Adam Gilchrist, and now that de Kock has scored a second Test century, on Gilchrist’s birthday and at the same ground where the former Australia wicketkeeper scored his maiden hundred, those could continue. He maintains it’s not something he is trying to do.”I don’t try and be like him. That’s just the way I play. I don’t see myself being like him. I just see the ball, hit the ball. I have my own game plan. Some days, I can get off to a good start and keep a good momentum. Some days, I have to grind it out,” de Kock said.On other days, Bavuma does the grinding. He has been spoken of as a batsman similar to Gus Logie, partly because of his height, mostly because of his fight. By lunch, Bavuma had faced 201 deliveries. Australia’s entire first innings lasted only 197.With Bavuma and de Kock coming of age, South Africa could have a few selection headaches when a fit AB de Villiers returns to the XI. One possibility is for de Kock to move to the top-two, especially if Stephen Cook keeps misfiring. but with concerns surrounding workload, it may not happen. Another solution is to leave Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy to fight it out, but with du Plessis making a strong case to stay on as captain, that may also prove tricky. For now, it’s a problem South Africa won’t mind having.