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Bavuma on Newlands pitch: Faf and I are still living

Cape Town - Temba Bavuma has described the Newlands wicket in Cape Town as challenging, but not impossible to bat on. 

The 28-year-old played a measured, well-crafted innings of 75 valuable runs on Friday as the Proteas took control of the second Test against Pakistan. 

Having skittled their visitors for 177 on day one, South Africa are now sitting pretty at 382/6 with a healthy first innings lead of 205 that will surely end in victory over the next day or two. 

Bavuma was one of four South Africans to raise his bat in the first innings with Aiden Markram (78), Quinton de Kock (55*) and captain Faf du Plessis (103) the other contributors. 

Yet, at the end of the second day's play, Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur slammed the state of the Newlands surface, saying it was not good enough to host Test cricket

Arthur's comments came at the routine press conference that follows every day's play, and just minutes after he had left the media centre, Bavuma arrived on South African press duty. 

Given Arthur's stance, it didn't take long before Bavuma was asked to give his views on the strip. 

"Yeah, it was challenging and a tricky wicket," he said.

"I think if I compare it to SuperSport Park, this wicket was a bit quicker - any deviation on the wicket was just a hard to adjust to.

"It's challenging but just not impossible."

Bavuma knuckled down to share a 156-run partnership with Du Plessis that, effectively, took the game away from the Pakistanis. 

"It's one wicket as a batter that you have got to try and embrace, you have got to make peace with the fact that you're going to take a couple of balls on the body," Bavuma said.

"But at the end if you're able to come through, it'll be very satisfactory.  

"I wouldn't call it dangerous at all. Faf and I are still living. It wasn't impossible to bat on."

Bavuma pointed to De Kock's knock, in particular, as one that showed how there will still runs to be scored despite it being a difficult surface to bat on. 

De Kock brought up his 50 in just 59 balls and is set to continue the South African charge on Saturday morning.

"You have to apply yourself. A guy like Quinny came in today and made it look like he was batting on another strip and Aiden Markram did the same thing yesterday," Bavuma said.

"Everyone is using their conditions to their advantage and I don't think we should do anything different.

"We're playing at home and we know how to play at home."

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