South Africa have finally ended their long wait for an International Cricket Council (ICC) title after beating Australia by five wickets in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s on Saturday. This historic win is South Africa’s first senior ICC trophy in 27 years, with their last major success coming in 1998 at the ICC KnockOut Trophy—later renamed the Champions Trophy.
Over the past three decades, the Proteas have developed a reputation for falling just short in big tournaments. Since that 1998 triumph, they have exited 11 ICC tournaments at the semi-final stage and lost the T20 World Cup final to India in 2024. But this time, the team held their nerve on the biggest stage of Test cricket.
The victory at Lord’s comes at a crucial time for South African Test cricket, which has faced challenges in recent years. In early 2024, South Africa had to send a weakened squad to New Zealand for a two-match series, as their main Test players were committed to the SA20 league. That decision raised concerns about the future of Test cricket in the country. However, the Proteas bounced back impressively, winning eight of their next nine Tests, culminating in this long-awaited ICC triumph.
Captain Temba Bavuma has played a key role in South Africa’s turnaround. Under his leadership, the team remains unbeaten in 10 Tests. In the WTC final, Bavuma once again led from the front with a composed 66 in the second innings.
However, it was Aiden Markram who stole the spotlight. He scored a match-winning 136 and was named Player of the Match. Markram’s calm and confident batting guided South Africa through difficult moments, especially on the fourth morning when they needed 69 runs to win. Despite the loss of wickets, including Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs, Markram remained steady until he fell with just six runs required. His performance drew a standing ovation from the Lord’s crowd.
While Markram’s innings made the headlines, the win was built on contributions from the entire squad. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada was outstanding, taking nine wickets in the match and constantly troubling the Australian batters. Interestingly, both Markram and Rabada were part of the South African squad that won the Under-19 World Cup in 2014, making this senior victory even more meaningful.
Australia fought hard with their experienced bowling attack, with Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins picking up key wickets. But in the end, South Africa chased down the 282-run target, breaking their ICC title drought in the most fitting way—in the longest and most challenging format of the game.
This win marks a new era for South African cricket and gives fresh hope to their fans who have waited for decades to see their team lift a major ICC trophy.