Aiden Markram’s great hundred helped South Africa beat Australia and win the World Test Championship (WTC) final, marking a first in major tournaments in decades.
South Africa dispelled their reputation as chokers in cricket around the world when they beat Australia by five wickets in the World Test Championship final.
The last big title the Proteas won was the Champions Trophy in 1998. This is their first major title in 27 years.
South Africa was 213-2 at the start of Day 4 and needed 69 runs to win the title. Markram and captain Temba Bavuma both had scores of 102 and 65 when they started their new game.
South Africa wins the World Test Championship (WTC) final and gets its first big title.
Bavuma could only add one run to his score before being out in the third over of the day by Pat Cummins, an Australian bowler.
After this, Mitchell Starc got rid of Tristan Stubbs for eight runs, which gave Australia a chance to make a comeback.
But David Bedingham and Aiden Markram quickly put an end to that hope. Together, they scored 35 runs for the fifth wicket, which helped the Proteas win a historic game.
Markram scored 136 runs off 207 balls, including 14 fours, before being bowled out by Josh Hazlewood.
He was only inches away from winning.
With only six runs left to win, Kyle Verreynne joined Bedingham and scored four of those runs, including the winning run. This ended South Africa’s long wait for an ICC title.
Many close calls in the World Cup semi-finals have made South African cricket a household name. For example, they lost because of a now-discredited rain rule or came in second place even though the match ended in a tie.
They made it to their first big final at the Twenty20 World Cup in Barbados last year.
But there were only 26 runs left in the previous four overs, and India scored seven runs more than that, giving them an unlikely win.
The cricket community responds to South Africa’s first ICC win in 27 years.
South Africa won the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025, their first ICC title in 27 years. With an exciting five-wicket victory over the reigning champions, Australia, at Lord’s.
This victory will go down in cricket history.
The Proteas, led by Temba Bavuma and powered by Aiden Markram’s game-changing 136, chased down 282 runs to end an ICC trophy drought that lasted 27 years.
This sparked widespread joy and praise around the world within the cricket community.
The cricket community went wild with joy, and players, commentators, and fans took to social media to praise South Africa’s huge win.
Shoaib Akhtar, a former Pakistani speedster, took to social media to praise South Africa and their leader for a great game.
At Lords, Bavuma and his men made history. “Wow, what scenes!” Post by Shoaib Akhtar.
Sachin Tendulkar, an Indian cricket legend, praised South Africa for winning the ICC World Test Championship. He said, “In a final where every session had its own story, @ProteasMenCSA found calm in the storm.”
“Markram’s calmness and Bavuma’s toughness under pressure stood tall in the fourth innings,” Sachin Tendulkar said.
It was a century that people will remember, and together they made history.
Ian Bishop, a former fast bowler for the West Indies, also said nice things about South Africa. He noted that Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada, in particular, played a crucial role in helping the Proteas win the first ICC title in 27 years.
“In any case, Aiden Markram’s hundred in the fourth innings was one of the most incredibly responsible in the history of the game.”
It’s only right that K. G. Rabada, who led the team that won the ICC U19 World Cup, helps Temba Bavuma’s team reach the most significant moment in the country’s cricket history. Ian Bishop wrote on X, “ICC WTC Champs 2025.”
An ex-South African batter named AB de Villiers watched the game from the stands at Lord’s and wrote, “Congratulations @ProteasMenCSA.”
Excellent win, and great job! As always, hats off to Markram for his game-winning hundred and to Temba for his consistent leadership.
What a fantastic experience it was to watch the game in this beautiful manner! The drama built up.
“The buildup and the sweet victory at the end were times to savour… and to share that with my two boys. Who were thrilled and on their toes. I couldn’t have imagined a better scene,” AB de Villiers wrote, along with pictures from the stands.
In a tweet, former South African batter Herschelle Gibbs also praised his team: “Well done @ProteasMenCSA. Everything went right from the toss already… enjoy the celebrations.”
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