South Africa won their first ICC World Test Championship (WTC) title with a five-wicket victory over Australia at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London. This was the Proteas’ second ICC trophy, their first since the Wills International Cup in 1998 (since renamed the Champions Trophy), and ended a 27-year drought for cutlery.

The Proteas entered the WTC final as the table-toppers in the 2023-25 season, having won 8 of 12 matches. The captain, Temba Bavuma, won the toss and chose to bowl first. South Africa dominated Day 1, knocking Australia out for 212 because to Kagiso Rabada’s superb five-wicket haul. The leading scores for Australia were Steve Smith (66) and Beau Webster (72).

However, Australia fought back late on Day 1, grabbing four fast South African wickets. On Day 2, Australian captain Pat Cummins led a powerful bowling attack, taking six wickets to dismiss South Africa for 138. The Proteas’ best scorer was David Bedingham, with 45 runs.

With a large advantage, Australia aimed to post a difficult total in the second innings. South Africa’s bowlers struck again, with Lungi Ngidi taking three wickets and Rabada adding four to his tally. Mitchell Starc fought hard for 58 runs and was well supported by Alex Carey, who scored 43 to help Australia reach 207.

South Africa chased 282 runs and remained composed in their second innings. By the end of Day 3, they had scored 213 runs and needed only 63 more. Aiden Markram, who had previously completed his century, scored 136 on Day 4. He received good help from Bavuma (66), and South Africa easily chased down the target. Kyle Verreynne scored the winning runs, securing a thrilling triumph.

This historic victory not only handed South Africa their first World Cup championship, but it also ended a long-standing ICC trophy drought, making it a watershed point in their history.

Check out how X reacted to South Africa WTC victory against Australia –