“I believe I have planted a seed in younger guys. If they see me – someone from the same roots – coming up and doing it at international level, they will have the belief that they can too.” These are the words of Temba Bavuma, the South Africa middle-order batsman who will face England on Thursday, as we sit on a bench in the sunshine at the back of the Victorian pavilion at Lord’s after practice on Tuesday afternoon and discuss our memories of his maiden Test century at Newlands in January 2016.
For England supporters the run-soaked draw under Table Mountain, in what would go on to be a 2-1 series win for Alastair Cook’s tourists, will chiefly be remembered for Ben Stokes igniting the afterburners on the second morning with a record-breaking 258 from No6 that was simply jaw-dropping in its unbridled violence against the bowlers.
But a moment that will perhaps be referenced in years to come instead came on the fourth evening, as a thick edge off Steven Finn ran for four to vacant third man and saw Bavuma become the first black South African to reach the hallowed three-figure mark in Test cricket.
For all the significance of this, coming 25 years after readmission and in an era of transformation policies, Bavuma’s emotions were understandably personal. Seven Tests into his career – the mark that certainly England batsmen of late have been deemed to have had a fair crack – the right-hander felt under pressure for his spot.
“I remember seeing my parents and my sister in the stand and their jubilation and joy. For me it was the relief at putting in a performance for my team. It gives me goosebumps now thinking back,” says Bavuma, who grew up in the township of Langa, 12km down the road from South Africa’s picture-perfect cricketing citadel.
While a feature of this compact 5ft 4in right-hander’s innings was some, ahem, running commentary from Stokes – “it’s something I have grown up with. Being short, guys target you. He’s spirited and plays hard but was also one of the first to shake my hand” – a more vivid memory from that day has stuck with him.
“I remember kids playing cricket during the intervals. It made me think about going to Newlands when I was young and doing the same. Seeing them inspired me, and that most of them were from Langa also added an extra special taste.”
In the days and weeks that followed, as Bavuma fever spread and the spike in television viewers that day was marvelled at, it began to dawn on him just what this meant. “I realised it wasn’t just me that scored a hundred that day. So it became a purpose of mine: to do things not just for myself but for other people. To become a role model that kids could aspire to.”
The 27-year-old grew up in a middle-class cricketing family, played street games with friends and watched his uncles playing for the local club before eventually joining them. His schooling, where his love for the game was honed, was private, first at South African College Junior School in Newlands and then St David’s Marist in Johannesburg.
These advantages have not been lost on him, such that in April this year he established a foundation in South Africa that has invested in cricket facilities in Langa and Soweto and put on coaching clinics, with the dream of one day introducing it nationwide to further the sport among the country’s 67% black population.
“The purpose is to holistically empower young black South African cricketers,” he says. “[It came from] looking at my own development, as someone born in a township but fortunate to attend places where the coaches and facilities were good. We identify the young players through clinics, we link them up with partner schools and give them their best opportunity.
“We’re not looking for the next Kagiso Rabada, it’s just about empowering them. If they become a lawyer, a doctor, that’s a win for us, because they will then be in a position to influence others. It gives them an opportunity to escape out of poverty.”
Rabada, the gifted 22-year-old fast bowler, and Bavuma discuss their positions as role models in this respect frequently. Both players are in the side on merit – Bavuma, averaging 31 from 20 Tests, still has a point to prove starting at Lord’s this week – but the topic of the racial quota that requires the national cricket team to average at least six non-whites, including two black players, across the year remains a thorny one.
Bavuma says: “We do have chats, more than just brief ones. It can get a bit deep. He’s philosophical, but he understands his existence that it’s not about him, it’s not about us, it’s about those that came before us and those who are yet to come.
“We’re paving the way for them, and that’s what motivates us in both tough times and good times. We don’t see it as a negative pressure, it’s something that drives us forward. I try to embrace it. I am still learning and growing into it, but it will always be there as long as I’m playing international cricket.”
Can he picture the day when the subject is no longer relevant? “That’s the ideal picture, where everyone is seen irrespective of colour. We’re moving towards it.”
