South Africa Creates History: Lift ICC Trophy After 27 Years
South Africa won the ICC World Test Championship after beating the Australoia in the final by 5 wickets. With this win, the team secured to win the first ICC title in 27 years. The last they won in 1998, which was the ICC Champions Trophy.
The team through the cycle has shown the brilliant cricket, and in the final game, which they almost lost, had won by the great camback. Thanks to the brilliant inning of South Africa’s opening batter, Aiden Markram, who scored a majestic century while chasing the record target of 282.
Match Overview
The final kicked off on June 11th at Lord’s, with South Africa winning the toss and choosing to bowl first — a move that raised a few eyebrows initially but turned out to be spot on. The bowling unit didn’t waste time and kept the pressure tight from the start. Kagiso Rabada was fiery with the red ball and ended the innings with a five-wicket haul.
Australia, despite some fight from Steve Smith and young Tim Webster (both scoring fifties), couldn’t push past 212. The rest of the lineup just couldn’t find answers to the South African bowling attack.
South Africa’s first innings, however, went downhill quickly. The top order collapsed early, and though skipper Temba Bavuma and Bendigham tried to stitch a stand, they couldn’t do much. The team ended up getting bowled out for 138 — a huge blow. Australia’s Pat Cummins delivered a brutal spell, taking 6 wickets and giving his team a healthy lead going into the second innings.
Then came the twist. Australia, expected to build a mountain of runs in the second innings, stumbled. Rabada and Lungi Ngidi tore through the top order, and at one stage, the Aussies were hanging at 73 for 7. Carey (43) and Starc (58) tried to patch things up, but the team eventually folded for 207.
That gave South Africa a target of 282 runs to win the final — not impossible, but not easy either.
The chase didn’t start well. An early wicket at just 9 runs brought back memories of the first innings. But this time, Markram wasn’t going to back down. He came out determined, made smart shot choices, and built steady partnerships — first with Mulder and later with Bavuma.Markram’s 136 was a masterclass in pacing a chase under pressure. Bavuma, who battled a slight injury scare during the innings, played a gritty knock of 66. Together, they steered South Africa to the target. The team finished on 282/5, sealing the win and with it, the Test Championship.
More Than Just a Win
For South Africa, this wasn’t just a match. It was the end of a 27-year-long wait. Since their Champions Trophy win in 1998, the team has often come close but always missed out — sometimes tragically, sometimes narrowly. The “choker” tag followed them everywhere. But not anymore.
Bavuma, lifting the trophy at Lord’s, looked emotional but composed. “This means a lot to us, to the country, to every supporter who stood by us,” he said after the match.
South Africa now sits at the top of the red-ball world, and this win might just be the start of a new chapter for them. Want every sports update delivered to you? Hit subscribe on Khelostar News today!