On Saturday (June 14), at Lord’s Cricket Ground, history was rewritten. South Africa, a team long plagued by ICC heartbreaks, script their most stirring chapter yet by winning the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 against Australia.
South Africa ends 27-year wait for ICC glory at Lord’s
With a target of 282 to chase on the final day against a formidable Australian bowling lineup, South Africa turned to their trusted pillars, and they stood tall. Aiden Markram, often considered an unfulfilled talent, delivered a masterclass for the ages. His 136, constructed with elegance and composure, now sits comfortably beside the greatest innings played by a South African cricketer.
And then there was captain Temba Bavuma, who defied a troubling hamstring injury and rising doubts. Refusing to yield, Bavuma stitched together 102 resilient runs across both innings and, more importantly, crafted a 147-run partnership with Markram that became the spine of South Africa’s victory march. When Kyle Verreynne guided the ball through the covers for the winning runs, jubilation erupted, not just at Lord’s, but in every South African heart that had longed for this moment for nearly three decades.
South African Women’s team and the shared catharsis
While the men’s side basks in a glory earned through fire and finality, their triumph reverberated far beyond the boundary rope. Across South Africa the women’s team watched with swelling hearts and tearful eyes. For them, this win was not distant—it was deeply personal. Many of South Africa’s leading women cricketers took to social media, expressing their joy and solidarity. For years, they too had felt the sting of being nearly there: semi-final exits, moments that slipped through, titles that remained elusive. Their celebrations, often captured in heartfelt posts on Instagram, were more than congratulatory. The victory at Lord’s was, in essence, a moment of unison across South African cricket, a long-awaited realization that perhaps the tide has finally turned.
1. Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa’s all-format captain)
2. Marizanne Kapp (South Africa’s versatile all-rounder)
3. Anneke Bosch (South Africa’s rising all-rounder)
4. Annerie Dercksen (South Africa’s right-handed batter)
5. Chloe Tryon (South Africa’s allrounder)
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.