The Proteas’ captain and vice-captain need to put their hands up by scoring big runs against New Zealand in the second Test, writes Ongama Gcwabe.

The Proteas have always relied on the World Class fast bowlers we have produced over the years. This time, however, the batting group has relied on the bowlers a little too much than batters of the past.

In the past three years, the Proteas have struggled to put 300 runs on the board. Even during the famous series victory over India, there was not even one instance where Proteas batters passed 300 runs in an innings.

In the match where Indian batters registered a 300-plus score, the Proteas lost the match.

I find it so unjust that our fast bowlers are being mentioned as part of the problem in that loss at the Hagley Oval in the 1st Test. Our bowlers were on the money from Day One, but catches were dropped. Those catches could’ve gone on to change the face of the game. The bowlers shouldn’t feature in conversations where we look for what went wrong last week. The main problem is the batting.

Proteas in-form batter, Bavuma, told the media on Tuesday that he feels most welcome in the team and that is probably the reason behind his average of 48 in Tests since December 2019. To be honest, he hasn’t done enough. He hasn’t done enough to maximize the form he is in.

The manner in which he went out in the first innings of the 1st Test was disappointing. It makes it worse given that he is the most important batter in the line-up. Elgar has also been below his best standard, with an average below 40 since December 2019.

On many occasions, our bowlers have carried this team from positions where we thought the game was over. The time is now for our batters to return the favour.

“I’m at a point where I truly believe I’m accepted within the team. I’m valued within the team. That’s probably the reason my performances have been good over the last while,” Bavuma told the media.

“It’s obviously hard to separate one’s individual performances from the team’s cause, especially after a performance like that. The team is in a space where we need someone to put up their hand and do it for the team. Yes, my form has been decent but it’s still a bit of a concern for the team.”

The loss and batting woes are obviously not on Bavuma or Elgar, it’s on the batting group as a whole. Regardless, Elgar and Bavuma should be able to carry this batting order on their shoulders.

The Proteas can’t be in a situation where all seven batters fail and expect our bowlers to save us every single time. We need the two of them to score big runs to accommodate the inexperienced batters in the team.  

“I have played alongside Dean for quite a while. When I started playing SA A in 2012, Dean was one of the main players in that SA A side. From there we got along,” Bavuma explained.

“The relationship was always one built on honesty and not on bullshit. Dean’s a very blunt type of person. If you’re straying, he’ll call you out. If you’re doing well, he will let you know as well. I guess that resonated with me. We’ve built the respect where he wants the same feedback from me.”

The main ‘blunt’ conversation the skipper should be having is one with himself and his vice. The team needs them more than ever. The other batters need to see the two of them go out there and do what is required from Test match batters. Whether or not changes are made to the previous XI, the two leaders of the team need to lead by example.