Proteas captain Temba Bavuma issues reminder: I am still here

Bavuma notched up his third One-Day International ton from 102 balls to lead South Africa to an impressive five-wicket victory over England at the Mangaug Oval last night, subsequently taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The 32-year-old has had his fair share of ups and downs over the past year, facing heavy criticism over his underwhelming performances as the Proteas suffered a number of white-ball series defeats as well as their early T20 World Cup exit in November last year.

His impassioned celebration upon reaching the century mark said it all.

"It was quite emotional getting to that moment. The celebration wasn't planned per se, but for me, it was just a reminder to myself and everyone that I am still here and I still deserve to be where I am," Bavuma told the media after the match.

"It's not something that I planned, it probably just happened subconsciously but ja, it was just a reminder to everyone out there."

His knock was anything but conservative as he often found the boundary with some unorthodox shots, which was all down to his bravery, he said.

"I was seeing the ball quite nicely and I was just trying to score within my areas, obviously took a couple of chances that didn't come off, but I tried to be as brave as I could, in terms of how I played, and just tried to extend it for as long as I could," he explained.

The diminutive batter was also pleased with the way their chase of 342 runs to win was carried out, particularly in the end by David Miller and young Marco Jansen.

"I think ideally, we probably would have wanted to finish the game with two or three overs to go, [but] Marco obviously able to get a couple [of shots] through – he faced a number of dot balls,"

"But I think what we liked out there, watching him from the dugout, was the intent that he showed and we knew the other guys were going to play the same way too.

"David again showed his experience and class, and he was there to take it to the end, so a lot of guys chipped in, it was a good all-round performance with the bat, and even with the ball."

The Proteas have moved to ninth on the ICC World Cup Super League standings after their back-to-back victories over England, and could sneak into the top eight automatic qualification places for the showpiece in India, should they claim a series white-wash in Kimberley on Wednesday.