“I was actually speaking to my friends about it, and it’s in first-class cricket, you face a decent bowler and then there’s maybe another decent one and then maybe you can cash in later with the third or fourth one. But here, you get through six balls of (Pat) Cummins and then you look and it’s (Mitchell) Starc. And then you get through their spell and its (Josh) Hazlewood and (Nathan) Lyon,” Bedingham said in Gqeberha. “It’s tough, but we’ve faced them before, so hopefully we can just do it for longer periods of time.”
So who are these friends and did they have any advice?
“Most of them are club players, so they just said ‘reverse sweep, smack him across the line,’ that type of stuff. Not a lot of thought from them.”
He was 29 years old when South Africa were forced to select a makeshift squad for a Test tour to New Zealand as their contracted players were obliged to feature in the SA20, and he knew he could be among them. So, he took his name out of the auction. When Shukri Conrad knew Bedingham was committing, he picked him for the preceding series against India at home. From the outset, Bedingham looked like the real deal. He made 56 on debut and scored two fifties and a hundred in his first four Tests to average 49.57, and the future seemed bright.
“When I first started playing Test cricket, I basically thought it was a bonus because I didn’t really think it would happen,” Bedingham said. “After my first five Tests, I did pretty well, and then I put myself under loads of pressure because it was loads of fun but last year, I had a down year.”
The next 10 Tests saw a sharp decline: 399 runs at an average of 26.6 and only one fifty, in Chattogram. Still, Conrad is a man of loyalty and Bedingham, who had done so much to get South Africa to the World Test Championship final at Lord’s, was in the starting XI. He had a small role but performed it well, with scores of 45 and 21* and was there at the end, when South Africa scored the run that won the mace. Then, he was among those who traveled to Zimbabwe immediately after the WTC win, ostensibly with the mission to prove himself. While Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis scored centuries, he had a top score of 82 and was dropped from South Africa’s tours to the subcontinent in late 2025.
What he needs to do is not think about it that way because that will only increase pressure on himself to perform. “I had a good summer at Durham, maybe a bit more confident than I was last year and at the end of the day, it’s just cricket,” he said. “I know it’s our jobs, but there’s a lot bigger issues in South Africa and the world. So hopefully, just enjoy it.”
That was what he told the media, and it seems long after Bedingham has reminded himself that he is where he always wanted to be and doesn’t need the outside noise. “I worked on loads of things and mentally, I’m just happy to be playing for my country again,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens. That’s when I play my best, like a free spirit and enjoy it rather than thinking I need a score, I need a score. Whatever’s meant to be will be.”
Still there is a series on the line, and South Africa, at 1-nil down, have to stay in it in Gqeberha. It’s all but confirmed that they will have additional resources with Kagiso Rabada appearing fit to play after he missed the first Test while recovering from a hamstring injury. Rabada has bowled in the first set of quicks at training, done both batting and fielding practice and held court in a team huddle, all of which suggests he is readying to play.
Bedingham was not at liberty to comment on Rabada’s availability but could disclose a little of what was said in the circle. “I saw the picture (of the huddle) actually, and it does look like KG’s being quite intense, but around the group, he’s actually a very chill guy. Basically the main thing was just about bouncing back, showing good attitude and those types of things,” Bedingham said. “There was no shouting. It was more just ‘let’s bounce back.’ It’s a huge challenge, but if we bounce back, perfect.”
The second Test starts on Sunday, with rain forecast for most of the first two days.
Firdose Moonda is Cricinfo’s senior correspondent for Africa and women’s cricket