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South Africa recorded their first ICC trophy victory of this century by defeating Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final on Saturday. It was an incredible effort from the Proteas, who after remaining dominant throughout the 2023-25 cycle of the tournament, went on to emerge victorious over the reigning champions at the iconic Lord's stadium in London. Notably, South Africa last won a major international trophy back in 1998 when they defeated West Indies in the final of the ICC Knockout Trophy.
Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram and skipper Temba Bavuma were the three main catalysts to South Africa's victory in the final. Firstly, Rabada made the Australian batters crumble in front of him in both the innings and went on to finish the match with a total of nine scalps. Secondly, Markram's terrific knock of 136 runs massively helped in propelling the Proteas to the 282-run target. Finally, Bavuma's knock of 66 in the second inning provided some much-needed stability to the side and he also formed a highly-important partnership of 147 runs with Markram.
Bavuma believes that this victory will take time to sink in
Following the victory, Bavuma stated that this is a very special victory and it will take some time to sink in. He also acknowledged how the side have suffered heartbreaks on multiple occasions in major tournaments, but have finally managed to put all of that behind them.
"It's been a special couple of days, at some points it felt like we were in SA. We prepared hard, we came in with a lot of belief and lot of doubters, glad we played well. Special moment for us and people back home, probably will sink in in a couple of days. The energy was there, I think us as a team have been wanting this. We've been relentless, getting to the doorstep consistently and experienced heartache, the sun's been with us. Hopefully, this win is one of many. KG is a massive player, a couple of days ago I went to the Hall of Fame inductees, I think he'll be on there in a few years. Came into the game under controversy and did what he did," Bavuma said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo during the post-match presentation.
He further praised both Markram and Rabada for playing pivotal roles in the victory and added that winning the trophy will shut down all of their doubters.
"Aiden is unbelievable, people have questioned his place, but he has character. He played in true Aiden fashion, he and Rabada have carried the character. We got ourselves into the final, there were doubters on the route we took, this win squashes that. Here's an opportunity for us as a nation, divided as we are, to unite. You can be rest assured we'll celebrate as one," Bavuma added.
With this victory, South Africa have become the third side to win the WTC title after New Zealand and Australia, who won the first and second editions of the tournament respectively. This triumph will undoubtedly live long in the hearts of the South African team and their supporters.
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