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The South Africans wrapped up the match in style on day four at Lord's on Saturday.
The South African cricket team celebrate winning the ICC World Test Championship. Picture: Getty Images
Proteas Test captain Temba Bavuma said “the sun is on us at the moment” following his guiding the team to glory in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in London on Saturday.
The South African team beat Australia by five wickets to win a first major ICC trophy in 27 years.
The game was wrapped up before lunch on day four at a packed Lord’s, with thousands of South Africans in the stands cheering their team on.
“We’ve been wanting this, we’ve been knocking at the door, getting into these positions,” said Bavuma, who hasn’t lost a Test match since being named captain, in a television interview after the game.
He contributed a brilliant 66 in his team’s second innings as the Proteas chased down their target. The win was also South Africa’s eighth in a row in the Test arena.
‘Special moment’
“We’ve gone through heartache, we’ve gone through disappointments and seen the past players before us … but the sun is on us at the moment. We’ve carried the responsibility and hopefully this is one of many.
“As divided as we are sometimes in South Africa, this will allow people to forget all of that and rejoice in the moment and be one.”
The skipper, who combined with Aiden Markram (136) for the crucial match-winning partnership, added: “It’s been a special couple of days. At some point I felt like we were back in South Africa [such was the support].
“We worked hard for this, we came here with belief and I’m happy we could play well enough to get the result. It’s a special moment for us as a group, but it’s also special for the people back home.”
Markram and Rabada performances
Besides the big contributions by the skipper himself and Markram, the other standout player in the match was fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who finished the game with nine wickets.
“He’s a massive player. He came into the game with controversy behind him (a recreational drug ban), but was so motivated,” said Bavuma. “He performed like a champion. He came and did what he does.”
Regarding the phenomenal batting performance by Markram, who scored a duck in the first innings, Bavuma said: “Unbelievable … a couple of months ago people asked me why he’s in the team … yes, stats are important but so is character and Aiden carries all those traits.”
Coach Shukri Conrad was also a happy man afterwards.
“I’m thrilled and ecstatic for the guys,” he said. “This was for South Africa … this was special.”
