We have often seen batsmen walking off before Umpires give a decision. This move has acquired quite a great position in cricket’s fair play norms. Sachin Tendulkar was one such player who was accustomed to walking off the field even before the Umpire called for it. If it was genuinely a wicket, one should not hide it. South Africa’s Tenda Bavuma did a very similar thing. The only problem was, he was actually not out!
The Lankans put up a brilliant show but scoring 396 in their first innings. However, defeating South Africa in their own backyard is not a piece of cake. There is a reason why the Proteas are so invincible on their home ground. The South Africans put up a score of 621! There were many headlines in the match. To name one, the South African captain missed his double century by just one run. Batting on 199, the skipper couldn’t maintain his composure and most his wicket against.
Bavuma walked off unnecessarily:
However, the incident regarding Tenda Bavuma is the one that attracted the most eyeballs. Trying to set an example of fair play, the South African unnecessarily gave away his wicket. In fact, Twitter has already started trolling him for his foolishness.
Why did Bavuma walked into dressing room, look at the gap. pic.twitter.com/2zkvffaxOB
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 28, 2020
In the 91st over, Sri Lankan pacer Dasun Shanaka bowled a back of length delivery well outside off stump which was completely misjudged by Temba Bavuma. Bavuma cut the ball blindly and gave away ‘what it seemed then’ an edge which was caught by the Sri Lankan wicket-keeper. The Lankan fielders started to appeal immediately and the Umpire was going to give the decision anyway. What surprised everyone the most was that the Tenda Bavuma didn’t even wait for the umpire’s decision and started to walk back to the pavilion straight away.
The replays later showed that there was clearly a huge gap between the bat and the ball and there was no indication by the snickometer. The UltraEdge confirmed the same and displayed a flat line showing no contact between the bat and the ball. Bavuma was then playing a beautiful knock of 71 off 125 and was looking well set for his second Test century but he chose to not review it and walked off presuming to have hit it. Had he stayed in his crease and taken a review, he could have scored much more.
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The pitch is favoring the batsmen. It was clearly understandable after both the teams played big knocks. A bunch of players from both sides played appreciable knocks and many hit half-centuries.
It needs to be mentioned regarding Bavuma’s wicket that in the recent past, the umpires have had their fair share of misguided and wrong decisions especially in the ongoing test series between Sri Lanka and South Africa. Many think that having been frustrated by the umpiring, Bavuma knew that he was going to be sent off and thus he preferred to walk off. However, most of the fans still think that this was nothing but stupidity as South Africa had their review left.
