The choker tag has finally been put to rest. South Africa, the perennial underachievers in international cricket, finally have a trophy to show after they defeated Australia in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) by five wickets at the Lord's Cricket Ground on Saturday. After suffering countless heartbreaks in ICC events, the Temba Bavuma-led side was finally able to get the better of their nerves and tame the much-famed Australian bowling attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon.
South Africa had to wait 27 years for the second ICC title win. The Proteas had registered a victory in the 1998 ICC Knockout Trophy, but after that achievement, they kept stumbling at the final hurdles; pain and agony followed them for almost the next three decades. In 2025, teams have been breaking their trophy droughts, with RCB setting the stage in the first week of June. Now, the Proteas have joined the celebration, riding the wave of this triumphant year.
Chasing 282, Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma brought their A-game in the fourth and final innings, leaving the mighty Aussies speechless. The right-handed Markram smashed his eighth Test ton as he led the South Africa chase. Bavuma, fighting a hamstring injury in the fourth innings, also stayed put at the crease, dispatching loose balls for boundaries. He found some difficulty rotating the strike but refrained from walking back and retiring hurt. He, along with Markram, ensured Australia were not given an opening.
South Africa's chase got off to a poor start as left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc removed Ryan Rickelton pretty cheaply. However, Markram then retrieved the innings alongside No.3 batter Wiaan Mulder. Mulder lost his wicket for 29 to Starc, and it was then that Bavuma joined Markram in the middle, the duo playing out the rest of Day 3.
{{/usCountry}}South Africa's chase got off to a poor start as left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc removed Ryan Rickelton pretty cheaply. However, Markram then retrieved the innings alongside No.3 batter Wiaan Mulder. Mulder lost his wicket for 29 to Starc, and it was then that Bavuma joined Markram in the middle, the duo playing out the rest of Day 3.
{{/usCountry}}Entering Day 4 of the WTC final, South Africa's task was simple. They had to score 69 more runs with eight wickets in hand to win the third edition of the Test championship. Cricket pundits and fans were wary of South Africa's knack of crumbling under pressure and losing the crunch moments.
Temba Bavuma (66) and Tristan Stubbs (8) lost their wickets to Cummins and Starc. However, Markram (136) and David Bedingham (21*) ensured Proteas got over the line and created history in front of the jam-packed Lord's crowd.
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In the end, the Proteas wrapped up a comfortable win in the first session of Day 4. As soon as the win was achieved, the entire South Africa dressing room went wild, celebrations erupting in grand style.
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How the match unfolded
In the WTC final, South Africa captain Bavuma won the toss and opted to bowl under overcast skies in London. Kagiso Rabada wreaked havoc as South Africa bundled out Pat Cummins and co for 212 in the first innings. Australia's total would have looked abysmal had Steve Smith (66) and Beau Webster (72) not scored half-centuries.
Australia made a match out of it when they got the chance to bowl as Cummins bettered Rabada's performance and went on to take six wickets. This effort resulted in Australia bowling out the Proteas for 138, taking a lead of 74 runs. South Africa were guilty of going into their shell in the first innings and letting the Australian attack dictate terms on a pace-friendly surface.
The pendulum swung once again in the second innings when everyone was expecting Australia to run away with the contest. Rabada, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi rattled the Australian top and middle order, reducing the latter to 73/7 in the second innings. At this moment, it seemed like South Africa would have to chase just around 150-180 runs. But Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc put on 61 runs for the eighth wicket, stretching Australia's lead to over 200. On Day 3, Starc then found further support in Josh Hazlewood, stitching together a partnership of 59 runs for the tenth and final wicket – the highest for the tenth wicket in men's ICC finals, across all three formats of the game
Starc, who played an unbeaten knock of 58, now has the most number of fifties by a batter batting at No. 9 or lower. When Australia set the target of 282, it seemed unlikely that South Africa would chase the total down. However, Markram, Bavuma and fate had different plans.
South Africa’s triumph has eased the sting of past defeats in the 1999, 2007, 2015, and 2023 World Cup semi-finals, offering a measure of redemption. For cricket fans across the Rainbow Nation, the heartbreak of the 2024 T20 World Cup final loss to India may begin to fade. This victory could mark the dawn of a new era for South African cricket. By claiming the title, a team outside the 'Big 3' has boldly stepped up, truly putting the 'world' back into world cricket.