'You discover yourself in hard times' – Bavuma reflects on his Test journey

Bavuma, who traces his roots back to the Eastern Cape, was the first black African specialist batter for the national men’s team and represented hope and change; the former for a majority population disenfranchised by segregation and the latter for what a team of the future could look like: inclusive, representative, and accessible to all.

So, what’s changed between the Bavuma of 2014 and the Bavuma of 2024?

“I’ve got less hair,” he joked at St Georges’ Park on the eve of the second Test against Sri Lanka. “In terms of the way I view the game, I see it a bit differently. When I came here as a 24-year-old, I was naive to a lot of things. Now, ten years later, having gone through the journey, the ups and downs, you appreciate things a lot more. You don’t take things for granted. And you try to find moments and memories in everything that is happening around you.”

The Bavuma of 2014 entered a team filled with superstars who had already started retiring and that were about to enter a slide. They beat West Indies in his first outing, but went on to lose heavily in India, which ended a nine-year unbeaten away run, and opened up a period of uncertainty. In every year that Bavuma played, a big name called it a day.

The leadership changed hands three times in the first two years from Hashim Amla to AB de Villiers to Faf du Plessis and the champion fast bowlers were battling serious injuries. South Africa slipped down the rankings and were taken less seriously as a Test team while Bavuma himself was considered a bit-part player.

In his first eight years, he scored only one century and though most of his 20 fifties came in trying situations, numbers mattered. As did reputation. Between 2021 and 2024, he missed ten Tests through injury, was made white-ball captain and led the T20 side through two group stage exists at World Cups.

Bavuma was also replaced as T20 captain and promoted to the Test leadership. Some of what Bavuma went through would have made a less steadfast cricketer walk away, but the strength of his conviction made him stay and now that he marks a decade as an international, he is glad he did.

“I’ve been very grateful for the journey that I’ve been on, everything that has come with it. People always say that in hard times you really get to discover yourself, and I really do think that is true,” he said. “The one thing that hasn’t changed or won’t change is my passion and love for the game. It’s through that I’ve been able to overcome everything that has come my way. And, also there’s an ambition and a fire inside of me of certain things that I want to achieve.”

“I feel that I’ve got a couple of more years in me. Mentally, that is; physically, not too sure”

Temba Bavuma

One of those things must be the WTC final, which he spoke about as having put a “bigger value on Test cricket.” Another has to be hundreds. He now has three, two of them as captain. When Bavuma leads the side, he averages 54.22 which speaks to how that has brought out the best in him even as he has worked to balance the roles of skipper and senior batter.

“The challenge that I’ve found as captain is separating those two. It’s important that you are able to do so,” he said. I focused a lot more on Temba the captain, to be honest, and everything that comes with it and I haven’t really given the energy and time that Temba the batter requires.”

Yet the runs have come and Bavuma puts that down what time away from the game has forced him to do. “Being injured and not being able to be in the middle gave me time to kind of reflect on myself as a batter, what my goals are, how I want to go about doing my business, and obviously putting in the time and effort to do so.”

Bavuma’s latest niggle is an elbow problem which kept him out of the matches in Bangladesh. He now bats with significant strapping and has had to put his beloved golf clubs down to prioritise his batting. Those are all things Bavuma is willing to do as he chases his cricketing dreams and despite being ten years in, he has promised there’s more to come.

“I feel that I’ve got a couple of more years in me. Mentally, that is; physically, not too sure,” he said. “As long as I’m still enjoying the game, I’m still passionate about the game, I still get joy from seeing other guys perform and become inspired, I’ll still be well and truly on this journey.”

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket