South African captain Temba Bavuma hit a century to guide the Proteas to a five-wicket victory in the second one-day international against England at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Bavuma scored 109 runs, and South Africa beat England’s score of 342 for 7 with five balls to spare.
Bavuma had to deal with cramps right before he got to 100. With a score of 96, he had to wait a long time while he was treated. When he hit the next ball from Adil Rashid through the covers for four, he showed how he felt.
He pounded his chest and pointed to his name on the back of his shirt. He was the only South African player who didn’t sign up for the country’s new Twenty20 league, and his place on the national white-ball teams was questioned because he wasn’t thought to be able to score runs quickly enough for modern limited-overs cricket.
But on Sunday, he was in great shape. He faced only 102 balls and hit 14 fours and a six, leading South Africa to its third-highest successful run chase.
“It was very special,” said Bavuma. “It was very enjoyable. I managed to hit a few out of the middle.”
“We knew we had to come out and play. We played the conditions, which were good for batting.”
Bavuma let England bat first because he thought that there might be life in the pitch. Both of England’s openers were out in the first seven overs, which was a bad start, but they did better after that.
Harry Brook made 80 out of 75 balls in his second one-day international match. On Friday, he was out for 0 runs in his first one-day international match. Captain Jos Buttler scored 94 runs without being out in 82 balls.
Moeen Ali was also in good shape for England. He hit 51 runs off 45 balls and put on 106 runs with Buttler in the fifth wicket stand.
After Ali was out, there was a short lull, but England scored 60 runs in the last four overs. Sam Curran hit three sixes on his way to 28 runs.
“We didn’t expect the ball to swing as much as it did at the start but to come back and post 340 was a fantastic effort,” said Buttler. “It was a brilliant game of cricket and a great chase by South Africa.”
Bavuma and Quinton de Kock got off to a quick start. In the first 12 overs, they put up 77 runs as a pair. Everyone who batted for South Africa made a contribution, and the hosts were always at or close to the required rate. David Miller hit 58 runs without being out off 37 balls, and Chris Woakes ended the game with a six.
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