South Africa captain Temba Bavuma described the team’s 2-1 Test series victory over Australia as his best series experience, crediting the collective character of the side and its bowling attack for helping them secure the triumph and reach the top of the ICC Men’s Test rankings. South Africa defeated Australia by 176 runs in the third and final Test at Newlands on Saturday. The hosts recovered from a 100-run first-innings deficit through centuries from Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder before Simon Harmer’s 10-wicket match haul and Kagiso Rabada’s three early strikes sealed the victory.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma described the team’s 2-1 Test series victory over Australia as his best series experience, crediting the collective character of the side and its bowling attack for helping them secure the triumph and reach the top of the ICC Men’s Test rankings.
We wanted to carry on with the momentum from yesterday. Rabada got everything going today, and we managed to keep a tight grip on things,” Bavuma said. “You’ve got to acknowledge the Newlands faithful. In terms of the game, they added their force to it. Our conversation was about the character of the team coming out. Rickelton and Mulder put us in a good position. The South African captain also praised the team’s bowling unit, describing it as the backbone of their success across different playing conditions. “There were times we were in awe of the Australians.
Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Bavuma acknowledged the support of the Newlands crowd and said the team wanted to carry forward the momentum from the previous day. Reflecting on the contest, Bavuma said South Africa had faced challenging moments during the series and acknowledged that there were occasions when the team was impressed by Australia’s performance. We play better when we are behind in the game, don’t know if it is good or bad,” the Proteas skipper said. The captain said the team had made positive progress towards its goals but would take time to absorb the achievement before turning its attention to the next assignment.
