After years of near misses and failing to step up when the pressure was at its zenith, Aiden Markram’s gritty fourth-innings led South Africa to its first ICC trophy in 27 years when it beat Australia by five wickets in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s on Saturday.
After years of near misses and failing to step up when the pressure was at its zenith, Aiden Markram’s gritty fourth-innings led South Africa to its first ICC trophy in 27 years when it beat Australia by five wickets in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s on Saturday.
Aiden Markram’s stellar performance
After falling for a duck in the first innings, Aiden Markram the South Africa T20 captain played the innings of a lifetime, scoring 136 off 207 balls to take the team to brink of victory before he was eventually dismissed. When Aiden Markram led South Africa to U19 glory in the UAE in 2014, the Proteas had a leader earmarked to take over the next generation.
Aiden Markram had to wait three years to break into the South African batting setup, making his Test debut in Bangladesh in Potchefstroom and ODI debut against the same opposition a few days later.
In the eight years since, the 30-year-old Aiden Markram has been a mainstay for the side across formats, scoring 2857 runs in 45 Tests and 2371 runs in 77 ODIs. Despite aggregating ten hundreds in international cricket during this duration, he only managed an average of around 35.
South Africa fell just short of success as a team after Markram’s debut as well, losing in the semifinal of the 2023 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. The 2024 T20 World Cup final also ended in a gut-wrenching final over defeat to India. But, with their backs against the wall against the defending WTC champions, and with a formidable target of 282 to chase in the fourth innings, the Proteas leaned on the experienced pair of Aiden Markram and skipper Temba Bavuma to finally break their drought.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : It is cloudy out here with a breeze blowing. Very slight chance of rain. It is a 63m hit to the leg side, and 67m for the other side. Longer straight boundaries. The clouds are intriguing this morning. It looks like a good pitch that will play evenly throughout. Day 2 would be a great day to bat.
The captain will have a big decision to make. They tend to bowl first but batting first has historically been more successful. You need to get used to the Lord’s slope early and get your lines right early – move the ball towards the stumps. The nerves and adrenaline will be there, but players need to settle early rckons Nasser Hussain and Stuart Broad in their pitch report.
Toss : South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bowl with four fast bowlers and one spinner in the Playing XI. Australia skipper Pat Cummins who was a little bit skeptical about the toss was happy to bat first went in with 3 pacers and 1 spinner in his Playing XI.
Day 1 : Kagiso Rabada’s 5-fer shines bright as Australia hits back in the final session
Earlier, in the first session, after electing to bowl Kagiso Rabada and Jansen were disciplined with the line and lengths after Bavuma opted to bowl on a cloudy morning, bowling three maidens on the trot. Marnus Labuschagne got Australia going with three couples off Jansen even as Rabada bowled a hat-trick of maidens to Khawaja and finally got his reward when he had the left-hander edging to first slip for a 20-ball duck.
The Cameron Green experiment at No.3 failed as the batter fell to Rabada, caught brilliantly by Markram at second slip. Smith and Labuschagne then struck a couple of boundaries, overcoming an excellent spell from Rabada (6-4-9-2) and also saw off Lungi Ngidi and Wiaan Mulder as they got through the first hour without further damage.
Smith struck a few boundaries at the start of the second hour and started rebuilding with Labuschagne. South Africa, however, ensured that the partnership was short-lived. Jansen returned to the attack 30 minutes into the second hour, going round the wicket and getting Labuschagne to edge to the ‘keeper, ending a 30-run stand.
Travis Head and Steven Smith hit a boundary each off Jansen as they started the recovery work afresh. Smith was saved by the umpire’s call when he walked across too far to an incoming Jansen delivery and was rapped on the pad. Jansen then delivered a big blow before Lunch, getting Head caught down the legside on what was the last ball before the break.
At the start of the second session, the onus was on Smith to lead Australia’s recovery, and the focus was on how he’d deal with South Africa’s best bowler Rabada. He started off with a well-executed cut shot for a four and played one aerially to the thirdman fence for another boundary.
Webster had a couple of lucky breaks – an umpire’s call, on impact, saved him from getting out leg-before when he was struck on the pad by Jansen while South Africa didn’t review for lbw off Rabada, with replays later revealing he would have been out. Smith brought up his fifty with another cut for a four off Rabada and also took on Maharaj, pulling him for a boundary as the fifth wicket pair raised a crucial fifty-run stand.
Webster, having overcome testing moments against Rabada, started batting more fluently. South Africa also made a poor review, going up for leg-before in a Ngidi over when replays clearly showed it was bat brushing against the pad before Webster hit the ball. The partnership worth 79 came to an abrupt halt as Markram got Smith to edge to slip.
Webster and Alex Carey then dealt in regular boundaries as the former rode his luck and brought up a brisk fifty. South Africa, meanwhile, lost another review, going up for an lbw appeal, as Carey had gloved the ball when he tried to sweep Markram.
Having done well to recover from a stuttering start, Australia lost steam again early in the third session with quick wickets going down. A 46-run stand between Carey and Webster came to an end when the former was bowled by Keshav Maharaj attempting a reverse sweep. Cummins fell in the next over, bowled by Rabada as Australia slipped to 199/7.
Webster kept Australia going, pulling and glancing Rabada for a couple of fours. But Rabada had the last laugh, bagging his fourth wicket as he got Webster to edge to first slip. Lyon was then bowled by Jansen and Starc was cleaned up by Rabada as Australia folded, losing five wickets for only 22 runs post Tea.
With just over 200 on the board, Australia relied on their celebrated pace battery to turn things around. Starc made an instant impact, dismissing a tentative Aiden Markram for a six-ball duck after the batter chopped the ball onto his stumps.
Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder set about trying to build a partnership but they faced some probing bowling from the relentless trio of Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. Starc was unlucky not to bag the wicket of Mulder as Carey put down a simple chance when the batter got an outside edge. Rickelton, at the other end, managed a few boundaries but tempted into a drive by Starc, he ended up edging it to first slip.
Temba Bavuma survived a leg-before shout in Starc’s over while Mulder continued to struggle against the pacers, who were moving the ball appreciably. He even got a thick outside edge off Cummins but the ball landed short of Smith at second slip. Mulder’s struggles (6 off 44) finally ended when he went for a drive, only to be bowled by a Cummins ball that nipped back in.
Cummins also found the outside edge of Bavuma’s bat in the same over but the ball fell short of Usman Khawaja at first slip. The South African skipper, who was beaten outside off multiple times, took 30 deliveries to get his first runs and saw another wicket go down as Stubbs was bowled by Hazlewood late in the day.
The pacers from both teams dominated on an engrossing opening day of the World Test Championship at Lord’s, with 14 wickets going down on the day, nine of them coming in the final session. Steve Smith and Beau Webster struck half-centuries but Australia could only finish with 212 after Kagiso Rabada’s 5-51, well supported by Marco Jansen (3-49). South Africa then suffered early setbacks in their reply as Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood did the damage, with the Proteas going into Stumps at 43/4.
Day 2 : Pat Cummins and Lungi Ngidi shine on another 14 wicket day in WTC.
In the morning session on Day 2, Temba Bavuma appeared a lot more confident compared to the previous evening, dealing in regular boundaries. He was given out lbw off Josh Hazlewood but he used the DRS to get the onfield decision reversed, with replays revealing an inside edge – much to the surprise, and relief, of the batter.
Temba Bavuma was also confident enough to go aerial a few times inside the first hour, including an authoritative pull off a chest-high delivery from Cummins for a six as South Africa made good progress and didn’t lose a wicket before the first drinks break.
David Bedingham, overshadowed a bit by Bavuma’s intent-filled batting, began to play some shots as well but the partnership worth 64 came to an end in a Cummins over as a terrific diving catch by Labuschagne led to the downfall of Temba Bavuma before Lunch. Bedingham and Verreynne steadied South Africa, only for them to lose their way later.
The action-filled second session got underway after a brief rain interruption. David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne resumed their partnership but it was short-lived as the latter was out lbw to Cummins. The Australian captain, who was involved in a collision with the wicketkeeper-batter, got up quickly and went for a review and his decision was justified.
Cummins bagged another wicket in the same over, with Marco Jansen handing a catch back to the bowler, and then became the first captain to bag a fifer at Lord’s since Daniel Vettori in 2008 when he got Bedingham to nick behind for 45. Keshav Maharaj was run out soon after while Rabada fell to a short delivery from Cummins, who bagged his 300th wicket in Tests.
After South Africa folded quickly in the second session, Marnus Labuschagne got Australia off to a steady start in their second innings, extending the lead closer to the 100-run mark while South Africa lost a review going upstairs for a caught-behind decision when Usman Khawaja missed a pull off Jansen.
The lead reached three figures before Rabada revived South Africa’s hopes as he accounted for the wickets of Khawaja and Cameron Green in the same over – the left-hander edging to the ‘keeper and the right-hander handing a catch to third slip just before the Tea break.
Labuschagne and Steve Smith began rebuilding in the final session but run-scoring wasn’t that easy with the South African pacers keeping it tight, although Ngidi didn’t appear to be at his best. The third wicket pair added only 16 before Labuschagne was drawn into a drive by Jansen and he edged it to the ‘keeper.
Lungi Ngidi then trapped Smith lbw, with South Africa making use of the DRS to get the decision in their favour. The pacer, re-energised by the wicket, struck once more, getting Beau Webster leg-before, with Australia losing a review. It became 66/6 as Wiaan Mulder had Travis Head bowled with one that jagged back in.
South Africa lost a review when Ngidi thought he had Carey in front but replays revealed that the ball was going over the stumps. Cummins hit a boundary in the same over but Ngidi hit back by knocking over the Australia captain. Carey and Starc both edged a couple of times but they all landed short of Aiden Markram at second slip.
Meanwhile, Rabada returned to the attack and struck for a couple of boundaries by Carey and Jansen overstepped a couple of times as Australia added some crucial runs. Carey was given out lbw off Jansen but he reviewed successfully, with replays showing an inside edge. It turned out to be an 11-run over as Australia took their lead past 180, with Starc providing good support for Carey through his strike rotation.
When Rabada found the edge of Starc’s bat, the ball died on Verreynne who put down a tough chance. Carey struck a four in the same over to bring up the half-century stand and the lead reached 200 a short while later. Carey’s fine innings finally came to an end when Rabada brought one back into him to trap him in front. Rabada, though, appeared to be struggling a bit towards the end of the day. Mulder could have picked up the ninth wicket but Jansen put down Starc at gully in the last over of the day.
A 14-wicket first day was followed by another 14-wicket day as Australia and South Africa continued to trade blows mainly through their pacemen in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s. Pat Cummins’s fiery spell (6-28) ensured a quick end to South Africa’s first innings as they were bowled out for 138 after starting the post-lunch session at 121/5.
Australia gained a 74-run lead but South Africa mounted a strong fightback, riding on an inspired bowling performance from Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi to reduce them to 73/7. But Alex Carey put Australia slightly ahead with his counter-attacking 43, supported well by Mitchell Starc in a 61-run eighth wicket stand as they ended the day at 144/8, leading by 218.
Day 3 : Magical Ton by Aiden Markram and a fighting half century from Temba Bavuma dominates SA’s route to a special win
The Lord’s pitch seemed batting-inclined for the first time in three days, and the Australian tail made the most of it to keep South Africa at bay for almost the entirety of the morning session earlier on Day 3. Starc lost Lyon early to Kagiso Rabada in the session, but found an able ally in Hazlewood to accumulate vital 63 runs together for the last-wicket stand that propelled Australia to 207 in their second innings.
En route, Starc wore down the South African attack with a patient 132-ball half-century – his eighth as a Test batter at No.9 or below, the highest for any tailender – even though it came with a streaky edge that flew over the slips. Hazlewood chipped in a valuable 17 at the other end before falling to part-timer Aiden Markram at the stroke of Lunch, setting South Africa a target of 282.
With the sun beating down in London and the wicket easing out, as Australia learnt in the morning session, runs flowed effortlessly when the batters applied themselves. Aiden Markram, first with Wiaan Mulder and later with Bavuma, steadied the chase after Mitchell Starc’s two crucial strikes at the either end of the afternoon session.
As early as the start of the third over of the innings, Ryan Rickelton needlessly chased a full outswinger from Starc and nicked behind to the ‘keeper to fall for just six. But Mulder and Aiden Markram combined admirably to put the bad balls away – mostly through covers – and respect the good ones in their 61-run alliance to revive South Africa’s hopes. Their run-rate remained brisk at the start, with nearly a boundary an over for the first-10 overs, forcing Australia to bring on Nathan Lyon before the drinks break itself.
However, it was Starc who produced another breakthrough for Australia almost immediately upon his return into the attack with under 30 minutes to go for Tea. A change of angle from round the wicket clicked instantly as Mulder chipped a full delivery to Marnus Labuschagne at cover and fell after contributing a patient 27 off 50 deliveries. Bavuma got an early reprieve on two when Steve Smith dropped the South African skipper at wide first slip, injuring his hand in the process that kept him off the field for the remainder of the day.
Aiden Markram and Bavuma, though, moved on quickly and rotated the strike effectively to keep the runs coming at a fair clip. By Tea, South Africa had nudged ahead in the race and the third-wicket partnership only grew stronger in the last session.
The pair remained resolute in avoiding first-innings mistakes, and Australia’s desperation for a break grew evident from the unorthodox fields deployed and the frequent use of part-time spin options once Lyon started getting prodigious turn. They even had the out-of-shape ball changed after the 53rd over, hoping to find some luck.
Temba Bavuma, visibly in pain after a hamstring niggle ahead of Tea, raised a fighting half-century in 83 balls – his 25th in Test cricket – soon after the pair had reached the 100 of their partnership. Aiden Markram, who looked in brilliant touch all through his knock, quietly brought the target down to double digits at the other end.
However, Aiden Markram took his own time in his 90s before flicking a Hazlewood delivery to midwicket to notch up arguably the finest hundred of his career across formats, in the penultimate over before stumps. Just 69 runs away, with eight wickets in hand and two set batters in the middle, South Africa finished the day firmly in control.
Aiden Markram’s majestic eighth Test Century, ably supported by a hobbling Temba Bavuma’s 65 not out at the other end, put South Africa on the brink of glory as they went to stumps on 213/2, in a chase of 282, on Day 3 of the 2025 World Test Championship final at Lord’s. Australia endured a wicket-less final session that saw South Africa make a terrific comeback and surge ahead, riding on the unbroken 143-run stand.
Day 4 : Career defining ton from Aiden Markram ends SA’s 27 year long wait for an elusive ICC Title
With 69 more required to win at the start of the penultimate day of the Test, South Africa remained slow but steady in the approach to the finish line. Aiden Markram carried on from where he left overnight, cautious and without any unnecessary risks, despite losing two partners at the other end.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins got his side the early breakthrough by having his counterpart, Temba Bavuma, caught behind after adding just one more to his overnight score of 65. Bavuma, though, walked off to a resounding applause from the Lord’s crowd, having put up a brave fight with a hamstring niggle the previous evening. The match-winning third-wicket partnership that doused Australia’s hopes on Day 3 was broken at 147.
Desperate to stay in the hunt, Australia burnt both their remaining reviews in quick succession. The first one of the day was wasted on a caught-behind appeal off Tristan Stubbs, on Alex Carey’s insistence. Starc did manage to get his man with an absolute jaffa the very next ball, angling into the stumps from round the wicket that Stubbs tried to block but to no avail.
Carey again convinced Cummins for their last review when an LBW appeal against David Bedingham was turned down in Starc’s following over, only for them to find out that the impact outside off.
Aiden Markram raised South Africa’s 250 in the following over, before Bedingham brought the requirement down to sub-20 with a glorious straight drive. Australia opted for the second new ball as soon as it was made available, and brought Josh Hazlewood back into the attack who was greeted with a boundary straightaway by Aiden Markram.
The South African opener Aiden Markram, however, fell off the final delivery of the over when he picked out Travis Head at midwicket with perfection. The Australians congratulated Aiden Markram instead of the usual wicket celebration, and the South African walked off to a unanimous standing ovation at Lord’s as well for his match-winning knock.
The last six runs didn’t come without using every minute of that extended time allowance and some late drama. Out of reviews, Australia were left hanging when the caught-behind appeal against Kyle Verreynne was turned down as the batter tried to ramp for the winning run. The batter, however, took his team past the finish line one ball later, ending a 27-year jinx in ICC knockouts for South Africa.
Aiden Markram’s excellent 136 helped South Africa end a 27-year-old ICC trophy drought as they beat Australia by five wickets to clinch the World Test Championship Final on the fourth morning at the Lord’s on Saturday (June 14). The Australia pace trio all picked up a wicket each, only to delay the inevitable in a 15-minute extended morning session.
Presentation and Takeaways for the next WTC cycle.
Pat Cummins the losing Australian skipper said : Things can change pretty quickly but unfortunately it’s a bridge too far. (where did the game change?) There’s always a few things, having a pretty decent first innings lead, that’s where you kind of want to bat the opposition out of the game, did not quite do that.
Maybe if we had batted another session as well, the conditions kind of helped us a little bit more. They were fantastic, that fourth innings, wasn’t a lot in that wicket but they did not really give us a chance.
A bit of both, it has been a wonderful two years, the guys have performed really well to get us here, did not come together this game, no doubt for the first two days, the bowlers were fantastic and always looked like the ball was darting around. Yeah that’s right. You were always clapping each run but knowing it’s looking like the wicket was starting to flatten out, again it can change over here quickly in England, unfortunately it did not really do that for us.
We gave just about everything a chance, I thought Lyono bowled particularly well here, looked threatening just did not quite get a wicket, Aiden was fantastic and Temba, that partnership did not really give us a chance. They showed why they are in this final. Deserved champions, all facets really, on all four days they just kept themselves in the game. When they got a sniff, they took a few wickets, fantastic, so congratulations to Temba, the staff and all the players.
Prefer the Oval last time. It’s fantastic, it’s the pinnacle, I love Test cricket. It’s something you build towards the two years. It’s a huge achievement to make the final and then a one-game shootout, it’s a fantastic kind of spectacle, the crowd’s been amazing. Unfortunately did not go our way this week but it’s a great week.
Temba Bavuma the winning SA skipper said : It has been a special couple of days, at some point, felt like we were back in South Africa with all the support in the stands. We have prepared hard for this, we have worked hard for this moment.
We came here with a lot of belief but also with a lot of doubters and we are happy that we were able to play well enough to get that type of result. Special moment for us as a team, special moment for the people back home, probably will really sink in a couple of days but it’s been special.
The energy was there, we have been wanting this as a team, we have been kind of knocking at the door, being relentless, getting ourselves into positions where we can be in finals. We have gone through the heartache, we have gone through the disappointment, seen it with the past players who have come before us and the sun is on us at the moment. That responsibility we have been carrying it and hopefully this is one of many.
KG is a massive player, couple of days ago, I went to the ICC Hall of Fame in Leeds, I think in a couple of years KG will be one of those guys. He came into the game with controversy behind him. He was motivated to do what he needed to do and like a champion he came and did what he did. (Markram) Unbelievable, couple of people were asking why Aiden was in the team.
Stats, yes are important but character is something we look at and a guy like Aiden, he carries all those traits. We knew second innings, we are gonna have to come out and play and he led it in like true Aiden fashion. Another massive player for us. Character has been a big thing for us as a team and those two guys are the ones who carry that.
Us a team we got ourselves into the final, there were doubters as to the route that we took, supposedly playing weaker teams. We are happy we are able to perfom like this and hopefully that kind of squashes that. For us as a country, here’s an opportunity for us, as divided as we are at times to forget all of that, to rejoice in this moment and just be one. I’m sure the people back home will be celebrating it with us and you can trust that we will be celebrating it massively as well.
Aiden Markram the Player of the Match for his ballistic 136 runs said : (On if he’s scored more important runs ever) Not at all. Weird how things work out if you get a duck in the first innings and you come into the second innings, quite a few concerns. Ultimately you need a bit of luck here and there, spent some time in the middle and find runs, grateful things worked out quite nicely. It will yes. Lord’s is the place every Test cricketer wants to play.
All the members here, also plenty of South African fans have made the trip and it was one of the most special days. That’s the case. It’s always one side of the sword – you need to absorb and then think about scoring later. When you look at the wicket, the quality of bowling and you have an X amount of balls to face, it’s about maximising scoring out of those balls.
(Lyon) He is one of the very best in the world, we had plenty of banter with him on the field, I just said to him he is one of the best in the world. If this keeps spinning and goes into day 4, day 5 would have been an absolute handful. Always great to play against some of the best in the world, not just only him but many other players in that side. Really chuffed for our boys to have got over the line of course. (Bavuma) To be really honest, a lot of it came from him.
He’s always led from the front for us, he has been incredible for us, specifically in this campaign, these last 2-3 years. He obviously hurt it, but he did not want to walk off the field. He was never going to give up and found a way to score runs, really important runs and build an important partnership for us to get close. Those sort of knocks are something that I think a lot of people will end up remembering.
At 12.45pm on a sunny Saturday at Lord’s, South Africa secured the most significant moment in their cricket history with the World Test Championship title. It was not without nerves – how could it be? – but this time there was no agony at the end. Aiden Markram took them to the brink with an epic 136, an innings that will go down as the country’s most important in Tests, before the winning runs were driven through the covers by Kyle Verreynne to spark the celebrations.
No longer was the 1998 ICC Knockout, with its various names and caveats, the only reference point for South Africa’s global success. After so many near misses, they had a crowning moment. It will be a hugely popular victory, too, as the underdog story so often is, and as part of the wider narrative around the health of Test cricket outside of the Big Three.
For all the success Australia have gathered over the years, this will be a bruising experience given they had managed to take a 74-run first-innings which had been extended into three figures before collapsing to 73 for 7 on the second evening. The lower order repaired some of the damage, and the bowlers gave it their all, but for once they finished second.
The class of 2025 from South Africa have done it! They have broken the 27-year jinx of not winning an ICC Trophy. In all those years, no country has endured such massive disappointments and heartbreaks that would numb any ardent supporter of theirs. This side of warriors, led by that absolute warrior Temba Bavuma, will go down in history as the one who finally broke that dreaded ICC curse.
They will be feted as heroes on their return back home. And they have done it deservingly too, winning 8 Tests in a row to claim the title. A country which has gone so much both politically and socially finally gets the much-needed ICC win they have been craving for. What better venue than at the Home of Cricket to do it at – under pristine conditions for cricket with the sun out in all its glory. Perfect.
South Africa won a good toss and bowled in cloudy conditions and made good use of it to bowl Australia out for 212. Rabada was the star with a fifer while Smith and Webster made fifties. The former looked in great nick till the man of this final – Aiden Markram got him out caught at slip. Webster had his luck but survived through it to top-score with 72. In reply, South Africa were bundled out for 138 as the Aussie seamers made merry. Only Bavuma and Bedingham made contributions with the rest faltering.
Cummins was on fire as he took a six-fer and Australia gained a crucial 74-run lead. Both the first and second days saw 14 wickets fall as the batters struggled with the overcast conditions and the pitch playing its part. Australia started well in the 2nd innings until the opening stand was broken. From 28/0, Australia slipped to 73/7 as Ngidi – who was poor in the first innings came good and along with Rabada as they tore through Australia.
Still there was a fightback from Australia as Carey and Starc added 61 runs for the 8th wicket before the former got out late in the day. Starc continued on day 3 as he ended with an unbeaten 58 and added crucial runs with the tail. A target of 282 was not going to be easy but the sun came out and the pitch looked to have eased out, that helped South Africa but boy what an innings from Aiden Markram, he didn’t put a foot wrong till he got out and played arguably his greatest ever international knock.
Aiden Markram was solid as a rock and put away the ones which deserved to go to the fence. That stand with Bavuma was match-defining and the South African captain, battling a hamstring issue, was heroic. He did not want to walk off and limped, hobbled and struggled for every run between the wickets. Just 69 were needed when day 4 started and the job was duly done despite a few hiccups.
As they inched closer to the target, the crowd, the South African contingent and their supporters were on tenterhooks but the winning moment finally came as Verreynne, who should have been out a few balls earlier, hit one through cover to spark joyous scenes.
From the laborious Kalahari bushman on its Northern tip to the nonchalant surfer on its Southern tip of the Cape of Good Hope, this is a time for all to rise and have your chest swell with pride on being South African. They’ve had plenty of nights before this ending in tears, but tonight is a night for celebration.
So celebrate, South Africa! Celebrate because neither rain nor rules can deny you this deserved victory. Celebrate because that Test mace has miraculous healing powers that might reinvigorate a love for the whites in a befuddled nation that is losing some of their finest to the riches of the franchise world. Celebrate long and celebrate loud, till the whispered mutters of the word ‘chokers’ are forever lost into the abyss of the Earth’s core.
Also Read: ICC WTC 2023-25: Aiden Markram’s 136 Runs Power South Africa To WTC Triumph