South Africa sealed a momentous five-wicket victory over Australia on the fourth day of the World Test Championship Final at Lord’s on Saturday, scripting their first major men’s ICC title since 1998.
Chasing 282, the Proteas resumed day four on 213/2 and, despite early nerves, crossed the finish line in 83.4 overs, thanks to a masterful 136 from Aiden Markram — his most significant Test innings to date.
The day began with a setback as skipper Temba Bavuma fell for 66, nicking behind off Pat Cummins. With Nathan Lyon extracting turn and Australia applying relentless pressure, South Africa’s pursuit of history momentarily wavered. However, Markram settled the nerves, striking Cummins for successive boundaries and keeping the scoreboard ticking.
Australia struck again when Mitchell Starc breached Tristan Stubbs’ defences to knock over his leg stump, but by then South Africa were within striking distance. Australia’s desperation showed when they burned their final review needlessly, as Markram and David Bedingham calmly rotated the strike and soaked up the pressure.
The turning point came as Bedingham timed a sublime on-drive off Cummins to bring the deficit under 20, lifting the energy among South African supporters. The crescendo built when Markram whipped Hazlewood through mid-wicket, followed by another three runs in the same region.
Though Markram fell just short of finishing the job — caught at mid-wicket off Hazlewood — Kyle Verreynne struck the winning runs, driving Starc through cover-point to spark scenes of unbridled celebration at the Home of Cricket and back in South Africa.
It was a fitting end to a campaign that had defied critics and showcased South Africa’s growing depth and resilience in the Test format.
It’s been a special couple of days. At some points, it felt like we were in South Africa. We prepared hard, came in with belief and a lot of doubters — I’m glad we played well. It probably will sink in in a couple of days. The energy was there, and we've been relentless. This win squashes the doubts. Here's an opportunity for us as a nation, divided as we are, to unite.
He also reserved special praise for Kagiso Rabada and Markram, noting: "Aiden is unbelievable — people questioned his place, but he has character. He played in true Aiden fashion."
Player of the Match Aiden Markram was elated with his performance, calling it the most important knock of his career:
"Haven’t scored more important runs. It’s weird how things worked out after a duck in the first innings. Lord’s is the place every Test cricketer wants to play. To play a final here is incredibly special."
A lot of it came from him. He didn’t want to walk off the field, found a way to score really important runs — an innings a lot of people will remember.
With this result, South Africa have now won eight consecutive Test matches — a run of form that has re-established them as a force in world cricket and, at long last, delivered a defining championship on the grandest stage.
Brief Scores:
Australia 212 & 207 lost to South Africa 138 & 282/5 in 83.4 overs (Aiden Markram 136, Temba Bavuma 66; Mitchell Starc 3-66, Josh Hazlewood 1-58) by 5 wickets.
