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The wait has finally come to an end; the drought has ended after 27 years of heartbreak for the Proteas. After 2 years of a wonderful run in the journey of the world test championship cycle, Captain Temba Bavuma and his warriors have lifted the trophy of the World Test Championship on the 4th day of the test match at the Home of Cricket, Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Not just a win- A historic moment for South African cricket
South African players and fans have waited for decades to witness this moment and have this once in a lifetime feeling. So, this was not just some ordinary win, it was an exhale held in generations. People calling them “chokers” was nothing new to the cricketing world, but captain Temba Bavuma gave a true sense of his name to the South African fans, which is: “HOPE”. The South African team had a cricketing giant in front of the mighty Australia, but South Africa stared fear in the face and played like true champions.
A match filled with a rollercoaster of emotions
The match started with some luck favouring South Africa with them winning the toss and deciding to bowl first. Against the strong batting lineup of Australia, fiery fast bowler Kagiso Rabada blitzed past their defence. Engraving his name on the Lord’s honours board-Rabada took 5 wickets, which limited the Aussies to 212 runs in the first innings. Now it was time for the Australian skipper Pat Cummins to show his bowling masterclass, and he did that in style, taking 6 wickets and rolling out the Proteas in just 138 runs in their first innings.
It all came down to that one last inning
With a lead of 74 runs, Australia were ahead in this game, and everyone was counting on them, but once again, they were against the players who were out to break their rhythm. Kagiso Rabada started his magical spell and rattled the Australian bowling line-up and taking 4 wickets, making a total of 9 wickets in the finals. Australia needed someone to stay on the crease and put on a respectable score, and a warrior who came to save Australia from a dreadful batting performance was Assie left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc. A proper test match innings filled with patience and composer, Starc scored 58(136) resulting in putting on a big target of 282 against the Proteas.
This South African team was built differently; they were ready to create history at the home of cricket. A player with great technique, powerful resilience and a tough temperament-Aiden Kyle Markram in a way outplayed the Aussies. Made a crucial partnership with the skipper, Temba Bavuma. Australian players tried using their old weapon of sledging the batter but Aiden Markram being as cold as he could, went to Temba and said just three words: “Stay locked in” rather than saying anything back to them and Temba, with a hamstring injury, stood like a wall with Aiden on the crease. Markram scored 136 (207) and Temba with 66 (134) overpowered the Australians, and after so many years, “The baggy greens” were on the losing side in an ICC Final game.
A Huge Moment for the South African Team and Fans
This win was much needed in South Africa to rejuvenate test cricket in the country. Legends of RSA Cricket like A B Devilliers, Graeme Smith and Shaun Pollock were there on the ground who were part of previous heartbreaks of team RSA in 1999 and 2015 witnessed this historic moment and their emotions were enough to tell the importance of this win. When most of them doubted Temba, he came out and silenced” all of them.
This famous win on the Lord’s cricket ground by the South African team will always be remembered in history as the day a nation buried its ghost, rose from heartbreaks and finally claimed the glory it had been long denied.
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