Bavuma left the field after nine balls of the first innings and returned four overs later, but limped while fielding, mainly at mid-on. He cautiously chased the balls and limped as he ran to talk to his players, but did not fire again, keeping in mind his role as leadoff hitter. If Bavuma had spent significant time off the field, he would only have been allowed to bat after the same amount of time had elapsed or until at least five batsmen had been dismissed.
“Obviously my leg hurts, I don’t know to what extent, but it will have to be fine.” [for the semi-final]”Bavuma* said during the post-match presentation after South Africa beat Afghanistan. “Obviously I had that option to go out, but I think as much as it was our last group game, it probably didn’t have a big impact . facing the play-off.
“But I still wanted to be there with the guys. It was a chance for me to get some time in the middle.” [batting], so I didn’t want to let it go. But also to continue leading the boys, continue commanding themselves on the field, [and] Continue to strengthen those relationships with the bowlers. “It was a little risky to stay on the field, but that’s what I felt at the time.”
With a World Cup high score of 35 before this match, Bavuma was desperate for runs. He came out to open the batting alongside Quinton de Kock and bowled 11 singles in his time at the crease, all at a leisurely pace, although there was a moment when things got tough. Bavuma played Mohammad Nabi to square leg, and there was doubt among the batsmen whether to take the run or not. The moment they did, Noor Ahmed completed a quick collection but bowled towards De Kock’s end, and he was able to run and slip the bat away from him. Bavuma, on the other side, was safe.
Bavuma and de Kock made 57 in the powerplay and celebrated their half-centuries with an unusually long hug before Bavuma prepared to face the 11th over. He edged Mujeeb Ur Rahman for four off the second ball but then edged a straight shot to Rahmanullah Gurbaz at deep square leg.
“Normally, the preference is to bat first; [but today] We bat second. Well, they sent us to bowl first and getting over the line that way will give us a lot of confidence.”
Temba Bavuma on South Africa’s victory while chasing Afghanistan
If Bavuma was unable to play in the semi-final, Aiden Markram should captain South Africa, as he did when Bavuma missed the England and Bangladesh matches due to illness, while Reeza Hendricks should open the batting.
South Africa finally ended up successfully chasing 245 against Afghanistan, in what was their second victory while chasing during this World Cup. Although the victory, with five wickets and 15 balls in the bank, seemed quite comfortable in the end, there was a time when they needed the remaining 31 off 27 balls.
“They say winning is a habit, so we want to build on that momentum,” Bavuma said. “We are very confident. Also, today we did something a little different. Normally, the preference is to bat first; [but today] We bat second. Well, they sent us to bowl first, and getting over the line that way will give us a lot of confidence.
“[There was a] a lot of understanding about how we can carry out that pursuit. “Fantastic knock from Rassie, who took over that innings, and the boys batted around him.”
*5:30 pm GMT: Story updated with Bavuma quotes after South Africa beat Afghanistan.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket
