WTC Final: South Africa end 27-year ICC trophy drought with historic chase vs Australia at Lord’s | Cricket News
South Africa achieved a historic victory in the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s on Saturday, ending their 27-year ICC trophy drought with a record-breaking run chase of 282. Led by Aiden Markram‘s unbeaten century and captain Temba Bavuma‘s resilient 66, the Proteas secured the win with five wickets remaining, marking their first ICC triumph since 1998.Markram’s outstanding performance of an unbeaten 124 on Day 3 set the foundation for the victory. Bavuma, despite dealing with a hamstring injury, provided crucial support and sealed the win with a boundary through cover.The victory sparked jubilant celebrations in the South African dressing room, marking a significant turnaround from their previous ICC tournament disappointments.
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The 1999 World Cup semi-final against Australia stands as one of South Africa’s most dramatic defeats. With nine runs needed in the final over and one wicket remaining, Lance Klusener hit two boundaries before a catastrophic run-out involving Allan Donald led to a tie, eliminating South Africa due to an inferior Super Six net run rate.The 2003 World Cup brought another devastating exit for South Africa on home soil. In a rain-affected match against Sri Lanka in Durban, Mark Boucher’s miscalculation of the DLS par score resulted in a tie when an additional run was needed, leading to South Africa’s elimination.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?South Africa’s 2011 World Cup campaign ended in the quarter-finals against New Zealand. Despite being well-positioned at 108/2 while chasing 222, they suffered a collapse, ultimately being bowled out for 172 and losing by 49 runs.The 2015 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand delivered another heartbreak. After posting 281 in a rain-shortened 43-over match, South Africa’s fielding lapses proved costly. Grant Elliott’s six off Dale Steyn in the final over ended their tournament hopes.The 2022 T20 World Cup brought an unexpected setback when South Africa failed to qualify for the semi-finals after losing to the Netherlands. Chasing 159, they managed only 145/8, despite being well-placed at 90/4 in the 13th over.In the 2023 Cricket World Cup South Africa reached the semi-final but lost their match against Australia who went on to win the final.The most recent disappointment came in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against India. After restricting India to 176 and with Heinrich Klassen scoring 52 off 27 balls, South Africa appeared in control needing 30 off 28 balls. However, following Klassen’s dismissal and David Miller’s catch by Suryakumar Yadav in the final over, they fell short by 7 runs.The World Test Championship victory at Lord’s represents South Africa’s first ICC success after numerous near-misses and dramatic exits from major tournaments over the past 25 years.
