South Africa defeated Australia on Saturday to win the ICC World Test Championship title. Australia had given South Africa a target of 282 runs to win, which South Africa won by 5 wickets thanks to Aiden Markram’s century and a 147-run partnership with captain Temba Bavuma. South Africa has won the ICC trophy after 27 years. Earlier, South Africa won the Champions Trophy in 1998.
South Africa had got a target of 282 runs to win in the fourth innings. When the team started the fourth day’s play, its score was 213 runs for two wickets and it needed 69 more runs to win. The team won the title by losing five wickets in 83.4 overs. South Africa suffered a setback in the form of captain Bavuma in the first session of the 4th day of the match, he was dismissed after scoring 66 runs.
Captain Pat Cummins got him caught out. There was a partnership of 147 runs in 250 balls for the third wicket between the two. Tristan Stubbs returned to the pavilion after scoring eight runs in 43 balls. Star batsman Aiden Markram was dismissed after scoring 136 runs in 207 balls. Australia had won the title last time by defeating India but this time they lost in the title match.
South Africa defeated Australia by 5 wickets in the final of the World Test Championship 2025 (WTC Final 2025). In this final played at Lord’s in London, Australia had given South Africa a target of 282 runs to win. Due to Aiden Markram’s century and captain Temba Bavuma’s fifty, the Proteas team chased it in 83.4 overs on the fourth day of this ultimate Test match between Proteas and Kangaroos.
Talking about the match, Australia, who came to bat first after losing the toss, scored 212 runs in the first innings. While Steve Smith and Beau Webster scored half-centuries, Kagiso Rabada took 5 wickets. In response, due to Pat Cummins’ 6 wickets, South Africa was reduced to 138 runs in its first innings. In the second innings, the Kangaroo team scored 207 runs and gave Bavuma and company a target of 282 runs.
South Africa Created History by Winning the WTC Final
South Africa defeated Australia by 5 wickets at Lord’s to win the World Test Championship 2023-25. In this way, South Africa has become the third team to win the WTC title. Earlier, New Zealand (2021) and Australia (2023) had won this title. South Africa, which was bundled out for just 138 runs in the first innings, made a brilliant comeback in the second innings and achieved the target of 282 runs given by Australia.
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Opener Aiden Markram played an important role in this historic victory of South Africa, who scored a brilliant century. Markram got full support from captain Temba Bavuma. However, Bavuma returned to the pavilion after scoring 66 runs but by then the match had gone in South Africa’s favor. This is South Africa’s second ICC title in the form of WTC. With this, Temba Bavuma’s team finally ended the 27-year drought.
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The South African team had earlier won the ICC Champions Trophy title for the first time in 1998. This was South Africa’s first ICC trophy. After this, it took a long time of 27 years for the African team to win its second ICC title. You will be surprised to know that this is the longest gap between 2 ICC titles. Earlier, this feat was in the name of West Indies. West Indies captured the ICC trophy after 25 years.
Longest gap between 2 ICC titles
South Africa – 27 years (CT 1998 – WTC 2025)
West Indies – 25 years (ODI WC 1979 – CT 2004)
New Zealand – 21 years (CT 2000 – WTC 2021)
India – 19 years (ODI WC 1983 – CT 2002)
Pakistan – 17 years (ODI WC 1992 – T20 WC 2009)
In the WTC Final 2025, Australia’s first innings was reduced to 212 runs. In response, South Africa’s team collapsed after scoring just 138 runs in the first innings. In the second innings, Australia scored 207 runs and set a target of 282 runs in front of South Africa. South Africa’s team achieved this target by losing 5 wickets. Aiden Markram played a brilliant innings of 136 runs and Temba Bavuma also scored 66 runs.