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“That happens.”
Those were the Proteas hitter By Temba Bavuma words after trying to explain his bizarre decision to walk against Sri Lanka at Centurion on Monday even though he was not out.
MARKER | Proteas v Sri Lanka, first test
Looking comfortable in the crease at 71 * at the time, Bavuma was beaten by a delivery from Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka.
There were celebrations from the Sri Lankan fielders, who claimed the outer edge, and without even waiting for the umpire to make a decision, Bavuma tucked the bat under his arm and walked off the field, acknowledging that he had skirted the ball.
Replays, however, revealed a significant gap between bat and ball and that Bavuma had not come close to hitting it.
The incident drew a lot of attention on social media and after the day’s game. Mpumelelo Mbangwa by SuperSport He spoke to Bavuma and asked him the question, “Why did you walk?”
“I heard a sound,” Bavuma said.
“My first instinct was to walk and then obviously when I looked at the highlights, there was daylight between the ball.
“That happens.
“I was already out and I had already removed the thigh pad and pads, so it was too late.”
It was Bavuma’s half-fourteenth century in test cricket when it still only has a century to its name, but it was another valuable contribution given that the Proteas had lost ground in rapid succession to drop from 200/1 to 220/4 when it reached the wicket.
“The situation forces you to get down to business, focus and focus a lot more and I guess that’s the kind of thing that gets the best of me,” Bavuma added.
“In saying that, I would like to perform as well as I did there in all situations, but I will take what I got today.
“It would be nice to convert and I have probably scored too many 50, but I’m in the situation that I am in and I can’t change anything now.
“If I am in that situation again, I will still try to score as many runs as I can and put the team in as strong a position as possible.”
– Compiled by Lloyd Burnard
