AMONG the thousands of fans who watched the Proteas men, led by Temba Bavuma, secure a historic victory in the ICC World Test Championship final at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in England were two Durban North residents Heinrich Styrdom and Devin Heffer.

They joined hundreds of thousands fans across the country and the world as the Proteas ended a 27-year wait for ICC success, beating Australia by five wickets and winning their first senior men’s trophy since the 1998 ICC Knockout victory.

In all it was 9722 days between trophy wins but it was all worth it, explained the duo who were sat next to each other on Day 4 of the Test.

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Strydom, the CEO of the Hollywoodbets Dolphins, and Heffer, the Hollywoodbets’ brand and communications manager, both cricket lovers, said the game felt like a home match with many in the crowd, including the English, supporting South Africa.

“The atmosphere was incredibly special. There were so many South Africans in the crowd, I would say around 60% were South Africans and around 30% were Aussie supporters,” explained Strydom. “I think regardless of whatever anyone says, the Proteas deserved this victory. The way the team fought back in the second innings, Kagiso Rabada’s performances with the ball and especially Aiden Markram’s and Temba Bavuma’s performances with the bat were the absolute highlights over the four days.

“From a KZN point of view it was special seeing Keshav Maharaj triumph, no one deserved it more. It was also great to have another Dolphins player, Senuran Muthusamy, in the squad. In my time in cricket I’ve also had the privilege of working with KG, Temba and Ryan Rickelton at the Lions, and to see each one of their journeys culminate in this wonderful way is special,” he said.

It was the same for Heffer, who praised the guts and determination of skipper Bavuma who batted much of the second innings with a hamstring strain.

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“I don’t think I left my seat. It was an enthralling four days of Test match cricket. When you love cricket so much, you understand and appreciate how a game can change in one delivery, that’s what made this victory so awesome. The game ebbed and flowed and every player contributed. Temba though epitomised the South African spirit, batting on one leg, his tenacity, guts, and determination to be there until the end make this victory so special,” he said.

When Kyle Verreynne struck the winning runs, a hallmark of all four days – the distinctly South African flavour around the ground, with songs, flags and national jerseys – was prominent in the stands.

“It was also amazing seeing how many SA supporters were there at Lord’s, I could hear SA accents and voices filling the stands with our songs and cheers,” Heffer said.

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