Hayden: South Africa’s Passive Batting Cost Them Dearly on Day 1

Matthew Hayden has shared his critical assessment of South Africa’s performance in the World Test Championship final, focusing on their batting strategy and the leadership of Temba Bavuma. Despite Rabada’s impressive five-wicket haul, restricting Australia to 212 in their first innings, Hayden highlighted a lack of intent in South Africa’s batting approach. Hayden observed that Bavuma’s leadership style did not set the right tone and that the team needed to demonstrate more attacking intent to put pressure on the Australian bowlers. He noted that the conditions favored the bowlers, and South Africa needed to counter this with aggressive batting to stay competitive. By the end of the first day, South Africa had lost early wickets, putting them in a difficult position and far behind Australia’s score. Hayden’s comments suggested a shift in the game’s momentum rested on South Africa’s approach on Day 2.