Follow UsSouth Africa finally ended a 27-year wait for an ICC trophy with a historic win over Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s on June 14 (Saturday). They have come very close to winning a title on numerous occasions, but it’s under Temba Bavuma that Proteas have finally managed to break the jinx. And, the South African captain is hoping this is just a start.
“It's been a special couple of days, at some points it felt like we were in SA. We prepared hard, we came in with a lot of belief and lot of doubters, glad we played well. Special moment for us and people back home, probably will sink in in a couple of days. The energy was there, I think us as a team have been wanting this. We've been relentless, getting to the doorstep consistently and experienced heartache, the sun's been with us. Hopefully, this win is one of many,” he said at the post-match presentation.
While Bavuma played important knocks in both innings, it was Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada who delivered game-changing performances. Rabada claimed nine wickets in the match, while Markram smashed 136 in the final innings to help South Africa chase down a target of 282 against Australia’s formidable bowling unit.
“KG is a massive player. A couple of days ago, I went to the Hall of Fame inductees. I think he'll be on there in a few years. Came into the game under controversy and did what he did. Aiden is unbelievable. People have questioned his place, but he has character. He played in true Aiden fashion; he and Rabada have carried the character,” said Bavuma.
Markram was named Player of the Match. Talking about his knock, the opener said, “Haven't scored more important runs. Weird how things worked out after a duck in the first innings. Need a bit of luck, spent some time in the middle and find runs, glad things worked out. Lord's is the place every Test cricketer wants to play. To play a final here is incredibly special.”