South Africa ended 27 years of hurt by beating Australia at Lord’s to win the ICC World Test Championship 2025.
Aiden Markram’s majestic 136 led the way as the Proteas sealed a five-wicket victory to lift this trophy for the first time and end a drought stretching back to the 1998 Champions Trophy.
Australia did not give up without a fight, claiming the scalps of Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs before Markram was caught at mid-wicket with just six runs required having taken his side within touching distance.
It was left to David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne to complete the job and spark joyous scenes from the sizable South African contingent inside the “Home of Cricket”, Verreynne hitting the winning runs to seal a memorable triumph.
Apart from the Test mace, South Africa also walked away with a prize money of $3.6 million (approx Rs 31.05 crore). Despite the loss, Australia also took home $2.16m (approx. Rs 18.63 crore) as runners-up.
‘Un-freaking-believable’: SA sum up WTC25 win
Having fallen at the final hurdle on numerous occasions since their ICC Knockout Trophy win in 1998, this wasn’t just a win for the playing group, but for the Rainbow Nation as a whole.
That was certainly the theme, as players shared their immediate thoughts having just beaten Australia at Lord’s to claim a maiden World Test Championship and their first piece of ICC silverware in 27 years.
What the Proteas players said in the immediate aftermath of their famous World Test Championship Final victory:
Temba Bavuma, mace-winning captain:
“It’s been a special couple of days. At some point, it felt like we were back in South Africa, with all the support in the stands.
“We’ve prepared hard for this, we’ve worked hard for this moment. We came here with a lot of belief, also a lot of doubters, and we were able to play well enough to get that type of result.
“(It’s) a special moment for us and as a team, a special moment for the people back home. Probably, it’ll really sink in in a couple of days. Year, it’s been special.
“We’ve been knocking at that door, being relentless, getting ourselves into positions where we can be in finals. We’ve gone through the heartache, we’ve gone through the disappointment, seeing it with past players who have come before us. The sun is on us at the moment, that responsibility, we’ve been carrying it, and hopefully this is one of many.”
Aiden Markram, player of the match:
“It’s weird how things work out. You get a duck in the first innings and you come into the second innings with quite a few concerns. Ultimately, you need a bit of luck here and there, spent some time in the middle and found some runs and just really grateful it worked out nicely.
“Lord’s is the place every Test cricketer wants to play. The play in a Final here is incredibly special and then, with all the members here, but also plenty of South African fans have made the trip and plenty at home as well that have supported us through, it was one of the most special days.”
Kagiso Rabada, one of the Proteas pivotal performers (9 wickets for the match):
“I can’t describe into words how I feel at the moment, just extremely happy. Throughout that entire season, I think, we planned really well, we worked really hard, and I think we deserved to get into this position.
“There were people saying that we weren’t good enough opposition, but I think that’s rubbish. We came here, we played the best team and I think Australia have been magnificent all season and we had to be on our A-game to beat them.
“Thank you for your support… these last four days felt like a home game, so thank you, guys, for turning out.”
Keshav Maharaj, who provided a very moving account of what the win means for South Africa:
“It’s special. I think, tears probably describe what we feel right now. It’s just such a privilege and honour to lift the coveted title and be a part of it. For everyone out here, and everyone back home, it’s super special for us and the boys.
“It’s just what our country’s about, to see the unity over the last five days and throughout the season, it’s super special and we’re very grateful, as a team, as a nation and as our proud country.
“Without the crowd here today, we probably wouldn’t be in this position over the last four days, so we’re very grateful and thankful to everyone that’s here and from abroad that’s supporting us. Thank you.
“Through adversity, we’ve stood strong as a team and here we are today, to raise a trophy that’s eluded us for a number of years, but we honour those before us, to those that are here and to those that have come, we love you, we appreciate you and continue to keep supporting us, we’re doing good things as a team, and as a country, and may this just be the stepping stone of greater things to come.”
Scores in brief
Australia v South Africa – ICC World Test Championship Final 2025, Lord’s – Day Four
Australia 212 all out in 56.4 overs (Beau Webster 72, Steve Smith 66; Kagiso Rabada 5/51, Marco Jansen 3/49) and 207 all out in 65 overs (Mitchell Starc 58 not out, Alex Carey 43; Kagiso Rabada 4/59, Lungi Ngidi 3/38)
South Africa 138 all out in 57.1 overs (David Bedingham 45, Temba Bavuma 36; Pat Cummins 6/28, Mitchell Starc 2/41) and 282/5 in 83.4 overs (Aiden Markram 136, Temba Bavuma 66; Mitchell Starc 3/66, Josh Hazlewood 1/58)
Result: South Africa win by five wickets
