LONDON (AP) — Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma didn’t have the pleasure of finishing off what they started.

It was fitting that Markram and Bavuma led the comeback with the bat as South Africa beat Australia by five wickets by completing a run chase of 282 at Lord’s on the fourth day Saturday.

They were the linchpins of a batting unit considered to be South Africa’s weak point and their partnership of 147 — 143 on Friday — tore the game away from Australia after the bowlers dominated the first two days.

But their stand was almost over before it began when Bavuma strained his left hamstring on 9 just before tea on Friday. He was hobbling, struggling to run.

Coach Shukri Conrad didn’t want Bavuma to continue.

“The coaches thought the wiser decision was to let someone else in who could run properly,” Bavuma said. “But I thought it was important I stayed out here and put up a total. It could’ve gone the other way and I could’ve been criticized but we’re here now.”

Markram was worried when Bavuma was injured but the captain’s confidence reassured him.

“He wanted to know if (running) twos becoming ones would affect me. I said no chance, it’s about the partnership, getting the ball softer,” Markram said. “He still managed to run twos and threes. He showed a lot of adrenaline, a lot of leadership and character.”

Bavuma, ragged but controlled, added only one more run on Saturday to his overnight 65.

“We got the best of the batting conditions,” Conrad said. “Two-eighty was always going to be a stiff task. Aiden and Temba stood tall and took us through. I was the one who said Temba shouldn’t bat (after the injury) but the partnership was critical, and they know better than the coaches.”

Bavuma, South Africa’s first Black captain, has been at ease with himself a lot more since Conrad became the coach two years ago. Together, they have won 11 of 15 tests. Bavuma is unbeaten in 10 tests as a captain.

Previously, he struggled with being the hope of a nation, anxious trying to prove something to everyone ahead of himself. When he suffered untimely drops in form at the 2022 T20 World Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup, he was savagely abused on social media and in public.

“It’s not easy being captain of South Africa,” he said. “All the sacrifice, disappointment, at that moment (of winning the final) it really feels worth it.

“When you are going through it all, giving up is always an option in the back of your mind but something wills you on. For me, it’s that moment there. (I want) to be recognized as more than just a black African cricketer, and to be seen as someone who has done something the country has wanted. I will walk around with my chest out and hope it continues to inspire our country.”