Bedingham scores 129 runs and stakes claim for Proteas No. 3 spot — TimesLIVE
In Cape Town, South Africa, Western Province cricketer David Bedingham scored 129 runs in a first-class series match against the Dolphins. He came in to bat at No. 3, while South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad watched his performance at Newlands. As TimesLIVE reports, this performance could strengthen Bedingham's claim for the No. 3 position in the Proteas Test team.
A century from 113 balls
The 32-year-old Bedingham scored 50 runs from 44 balls and reached the 100-run mark from 113 balls thanks to a cover shot against off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen. During his innings, he hit 18 shots that reached the boundary.
Together with Jiveshan Pillay, Bedingham added 187 runs for the second wicket. Pillay recorded his fourth century in first-class cricket. Bedingham was dismissed about an hour before the end of the day's play: Tristan Luus caught the ball in the cover area off the bowling of Nqobani Mokoena.
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A chance for a place in the Test team
After a successful season in England, Bedingham helped Durham gain promotion to Division 1 of the County Championship. He scored more than 1,000 runs, made five centuries in 2026 and had an average of 73.29 for Durham.
For the Proteas, Bedingham has played 15 Tests, scoring one century in New Zealand and four half-centuries. His last Test match took place in Bulawayo 14 months ago, and he was not included in the squad for four Tests in Pakistan and India.
Conrad has been looking for a player for the No. 3 position since taking charge of the team in 2022. Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder have played in that spot with varying success. Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla previously occupied the No. 3 position for South Africa for a long time.
