London: After 27 long years and countless heartbreaks, South Africa has finally clinched its second ICC trophy, winning the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final in June 2025. The historic win marks the country’s first major title since the 1998 ICC Knockout Cup.
In a commanding performance, the Proteas defeated defending champions Australia by five wickets to end the drought emphatically.
The final day began with South Africa needing just 69 more runs to seal the victory with eight wickets in hand. However, they suffered an early setback as captain Temba Bavuma was dismissed in the third over, edging Pat Cummins to the keeper after adding only one run to his overnight score of 65.
Tristan Stubbs, who replaced him, played a cautious knock but managed only 8 off 43 before falling to Mitchell Starc.
With the score at 241/4, Australia remained hopeful, but Aiden Markram stood firm. He led the chase with composure, scoring a brilliant 136 before getting out with South Africa needing just a few runs.
David Bedingham and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne completed the job, with Verreynne striking the winning runs off Starc.
The victory holds deep significance. South Africa lost a heart-wrenching T20 World Cup final to India a year ago.
This WTC win is redemption. Bavuma became the second South African captain after Hansie Cronje to lift an ICC trophy and the first to win a World Championship. Under his leadership, South Africa remains unbeaten in Tests, with nine wins and one draw.
