News24.com | 'Disappointed' Bavuma admits Proteas batters were 'not being good enough'

South African batter Temba Bavuma

• Proteas Test vice-captain Temba Bavuma admitted that their batters in Australia had been below par.
• The Proteas were dismissed for 189 and 204, respectively, to lose the second Test by an innings and 182 runs.
• Bavuma said they haven't done justice to themselves on this tour.

Proteas Test vice-captain Temba Bavuma admitted that their batters have not been good enough on their current tour of Australia.

South Africa slid to an innings and 182-run defeat in the second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Bavuma, who recorded his 20th Test 50 when he made 65 in the second innings, said they'd been asked Test match questions they couldn't answer by Australia in this Test series and England a few months ago.

South Africa's pitiful response of 204 in their second innings against Australia was the first time they crossed 200 in eight attempts.

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However, it came when their hosts had already racked up 575/8 declared after they bowled South Africa out for 189 on the first day.

Bavuma admitted that Australia had shown them up.

"To be brutally honest, as a batting group, we haven't been good enough," Bavuma said.

"That was the case in England as well where, as the batting group, we were shown up. I wasn't in England, but I watched.

"We've come to Australia, they've asked questions and we haven't had the answers for them. In my little cricket experience, it's tough playing in England, India, and Australia.

"It was tough in England, and it was tough in Australia, so there are a lot of questions than answers, but we simply haven't been good enough."

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Bavuma, who crossed 50 for the first time in the series after two unconverted starts in the first Test in Brisbane, followed by the failure in the first innings in Melbourne, said they hadn't done themselves justice in the game.

The Test series was Bavuma's first after missing the entire England tour through injury, with his decent batting return silencing doubters after his terrible T20 run.

"The way we've gone out as a team is disappointing. It wasn't what we prepared for as a team and it doesn't do justice to the work that we've put in," Bavuma said.

"We had a lot of success on previous tours and things went our way, while a lot of good was done by the guys on the field.

"It's quite hard to point to that and it's quite disappointing."