[Watch] Temba Bavuma-led South Africa lift ICC test mace to end their 27-year-old ICC title drought

South Africa defeated Australia in the ICC WTC 2023-25 final by five wickets.

The South Africa Cricket Team created history at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, London by defeating Australia in the ICC World test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final on Saturday, June 14. The Temba Bavuma-led side chased down a challenging 282-run target in the second innings by five wickets to dominate the Australian bowlers in the epic encounter.

The ICC WTC 2023-25 final observed a roller-coaster ride during the four days of the match. In the first two days, bowlers dominated the encounter. However, batters had the upper hand during the next two days. Opting to field first, the Proteas bowled out Australia for 212 in the first innings on back of Kagiso Rabada’s fifer.

However, Australia bounced back to bundle out South Africa for just 138 runs, earning a 74-run lead. Reaching 207/10 in the second innings, the Pat Cummins-led side set a big target of 282 for South Africa. Opener Aiden Markram, who got out for a duck in the first innings, stormed an impeccable century (136) to take his team close to winning before David Bedingham (21*) and Kyle Verreynne (4*) finished the game.

Watch: Temba Bavuma-led South Africa lift ICC test mace at Lord’s

Notably, South Africa won an ICC title after 27 years. In 1998, they won the ICC Champions Trophy (then ICC Knockout Trophy) by defeating the West Indies in the final, however, they never managed to taste the tag of ICC champions once again until now. Last year, they lost the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final against India to finish as runners-up.

South Africa, now, have ended their 27-year-long drought by winning the ICC WTC 2023-25. International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah presented the ICC test mace to the South Africa team at Lord’s Cricket Ground. ICC shared the video of the moment on their official account on Instagram.

Watch here:

Meanwhile, Markram won the Player of the Match award for his match-winning ton in the final. Kagiso Rabada also made a crucial contribution with the ball, clinching a total of nine wickets.

Bavuma scored a crucial 66 runs in the final innings to lend massive support to Markram. They also stitched a 147-run stand for the third wicket during the chase, which set the stage for their victory.

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