Australia will have to recover after losing Steve Smith to a sickening injury as South Africa rallied to put itself on the brink of World Test Championship final glory at Lord’s.
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Smith suffered a compound fracture of his finger after dropping South Africa captain Temba Bavuma on two and was later taken to hospital, having already been ruled out of the final while his availability for the upcoming tour of the West Indies is also in doubt.
It was a crushing blow for Australia and one they will quickly have to move past as Bavuma approaches what South Africa batting chief Ashwell Prince said was a “defining moment” in his career after the batter’s gutsy innings on Friday.
Aiden Markram led the way with an unbeaten century but the opener received superb support from the hobbling Bavuma, 65 not out despite suffering a hamstring strain early in his innings.
Their unbroken stand of 143 guided South Africa to 213-2 against Australia at the close of Friday’s third day, with the Proteas now needing just 69 more runs to reach a victory target of 282.
“It was a big call because of how it could affect Temba’s stroke-play and Aiden’s rhythm, but both were adamant that he must continue,” said Prince of the decision to let Bavuma bat on rather than retire hurt.
Bavuma has faced more than the usual amount of scrutiny after his 2014 debut meant he become the first black African batsman to represent the Proteas in Test cricket.
But Prince said the 35-year-old had shown his leadership qualities by battling on through the pain barrier on Friday.
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“Temba has had to fight throughout his career but this could be his defining moment.” Prince, himself a former South Africa batsman, added team management always had faith in the ability of the stylish Markram, out for a duck in the first innings.
“He’s someone for the big occasion,” he said. “We know what he’s capable of.”
South Africa have suffered decades of disappointment in one-day international and T20 World Cups. But they are now in sight of winning a first major final since triumphing at the 1998 ICC Knockout, the forerunner of the Champions Trophy.
“For us, the most important thing is to stay in the moment,” insisted Prince.
“It’s not done yet.”
Earlier, South Africa struggled to take Australia’s final wicket as the WTC title-holders built what seemed a significant lead.
But Prince said South Africa took some comfort from the way Mitchell Starc (58 not out) and Josh Hazlewood (17) held firm until shortly before lunch on Friday on an increasingly good surface for batting compared to the one where 28 wickets fell on the first two days.
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“It was frustrating but we thought it might be something in our favour if their numbers nine, 10 and 11 could look pretty comfortable,” said Prince.
Australia assistant coach Daniel Vettori said Markram had been “exceptional” on Friday, although the former New Zealand captain noted how conditions had changed markedly in northwest London as the sun beat down.
“The wicket was pretty benign. The wicket is slow and the bounce is lower than we expected from previous matches here,” said Vettori.
“It has been difficult for scoring but South Africa made the most of the conditions and put the pressure back on us with critical partnerships, their running and their ability to dissect the field.
“The hope for us is we that can get a wicket or two in the morning and see what it looks like but (taking) eight (wickets) for 70 is a real challenge.”
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