Legends offer stirring reminder of what's at stake for Bavuma and Co at Lord's

TimesLIVE

3 days ago

It's unlikely the Proteas didn't understand the magnitude of what awaits them at Lord's in a fortnight, but just in case, a few legends gave them a send-off on Friday that indicated how much winning the World Test Championship would mean to South African cricket.
From Makhaya Ntini telling Kagiso Rabada he'd happily give him his 'ten-for' from 2003 to Vernon Philander explaining how the Dukes ball worked and how the famous slope could be managed, Temba Bavuma and his teammates were given a rundown of what playing in that match against Australians means.
'I've been spending a week at home and before this event I was quite mellow, but hearing the past players speak like that, it just kick-starts everything. You can hear how proud they are, but also how desperate they are for us to get a trophy for South Africa,' said opener Aiden Markram.
'It gets the beans going, creates a fire in the belly. We'll have to manage that well. It's still a long way away from ball one. It's important to take those feelings in and acknowledge them,' Markram added.
Hard at work, the Proteas skipper prepares for the contest of the Ultimate Test as the final of the ICC World Test Championship draws near. 🏏🔥💪 #WTC25 #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #ProteasWTCFinal pic.twitter.com/4333qctvBh
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) May 21, 2025
The Proteas' greatest player, Jacques Kallis, a hero to many in the current squad focused on how he didn't have a good record at Lord's as if to highlight that even the best have off days — though he did offer a reminder that it was his catch in 2012 which secured the series against England allowing Graeme Smith, who was also in attendance at the departure event, to lift the ICC Test mace.
'The preparation will be key,' said Smith. 'You need to get over the aura of Lord's, go there a few days before the match, walk around the Pavilion, sit in that changeroom look at the honours board, try to have lunch, visit the museum and then you can be locked in for the match.'
The Proteas jetted to London on Friday night and will head to Arundel south of London, where they will have a training camp and then play a four-day warm-up match against Zimbabwe before heading to the capital. They will face Pat Cummins' side, who are the defending champions, in the third WTC final from June 11.
In a break from the norm, the Lord's clash is a one-off encounter unlike what is normally the case in the Test format, where a series decides the victor. Markram acknowledged that it was strange that the format's biggest prize would be decided by one match, but felt South Africa's experience from playing so many two-match series of late might be beneficial.
'Even in those two-match series you know you can't afford to lose the first one because then you can't win the series. There is a similarity we can draw from that, I guess. Every hour is an important hour, if you give it your best over each hour, you see where that gets you.'
Happy Birthday To The Proteas Test Captain Temba Bavuma 🎂.
The owner Of Jasprit Bumrah 🔥. pic.twitter.com/MKhb6BPyep
— Yash Jain (@yashjain4163) May 17, 2025
Smith said the one-match shoot-out was in fact better for the Proteas. 'There is absolutely no doubt that South Africa are underdogs, so a one-off game suits us. Australia is a good team, they've been consistent for a long period of time. A one-off Test, if we get our preparation right and everyone arrives ready, anything can happen,' said the former Proteas skipper.
'South Africa has match-winners that can get them into the game, and set up a victory.'
Australian coach Andrew McDonald described having his players dotted around the world as a 'muddled mess', though he seemed hopeful that it wouldn't affect their preparation.
McDonald's counterpart, Shukri Conrad, will count it as a small win that he can have all the players together for two weeks, which will allow them to dust off whatever cobwebs there may be and to properly get attuned to Test cricket after a number of them have been involved in the IPL recently.