After the Proteas' dismal tour to Australia, the domestic SA20 competition brought the feel-good factor back to local cricket and Temba Bavuma's white-ball ODI squad have carried that happy momentum forward.

Cricket is a game of fine margins and usually more disappointment than success. Batters are almost always dismissed. The good ones might score more than 50 about every fourth trip to the crease. It's a hard job.

For Proteas captain Temba Bavuma, it's been an emotionally draining year or so. Runs have been hard to come by, criticism has been harsh and he endured the most chastening public snub when failing to secure an SA20 contract at the auction.

Which is why, when he reached his century against England in Bloemfontein on Sunday, he gestured to his name on his back and the badge on his chest.

It was a natural outpouring of relief, anger and joy for the skipper, who happens to be leading at a time when South African cricket's world-class playing stocks are thin.

Still, they are a team of battlers and thanks to Bavuma's 109 off 102 balls at the Mangaung Oval, chased down 343 in 49.1 overs to seal a 2-0 series victory over...