Temba Bavuma notched up a hard-fought half-century off 83 balls, battling through visible discomfort during South Africa’s second innings on Day 3 of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final on Friday.

At the other end, Aiden Markram continued to anchor South Africa’s chase with remarkable assurance, unbeaten on 76. Together, the duo has forged an unbroken 90-run partnership for the third wicket, trimming the target to just 122 runs and edging the Proteas ever closer to a historic WTC title.

The milestone moment came in understated fashion. A delivery floated wide outside off at 92 kmph was delicately nudged behind square by Bavuma, who limped through for a single before raising his bat in quiet acknowledgment of the Lord’s crowd. It was a crowd that fully understood the magnitude of what they were witnessing, a captain battling both scoreboard pressure and physical limitations, delivering under the gravest of circumstances.