South Africa get last laugh after 'pathetic' move as brutal Aussie sledge backfires

Yahoo

19 hours ago

South Africa are being hailed around the cricket world after beating Australia to claim a historic World Test Championship title. And Proteas captain Temba Bavuma - who along with centurion Aidan Markram have written themselves into cricketing folklore - revealed after the momentous victory that the Aussies tried to get in South Africa's heads with a sledge about them being 'chokers' on day four at Lord's.
Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs just before lunch on day four to complete South Africa's chase of 282 and spark emotional scenes at the home of cricket. But it was a majestic century from opener Markram - who finally fell just before then end - and a gritty captain's knock from the hobbled Bavuma (66) that lay the platform for the Proteas to lift their first senior world trophy in the men's game.
It saw the South Africans get the last laugh after they were roundly criticised for a controversial Test move in 2023 to field a second-string side on a tour of New Zealand. In a move labelled 'pathetic' at the time, the Proteas sent a heavily depleted squad to New Zealand so their stars could stay home and play in the country's T20 league instead.
South Africa were subsequently thrashed 2-0 by the Black Caps, but then went on to complete eight wins in a row to claim an unexpected Test title in a stunning 18-month turnaround. And Bavuma - who played bravely on with a hamstring injury throughout the final - said the landmark WTC victory was extra special as it saw them shed the notorious 'chokers' tag that the Aussies reminded them about at Lord's.
'The tag of us being chokers, that came about this morning,' Bavuma said after the win. 'One of their players threw out the fact we could still get bowled out ... I definitely heard that.' Man of the match Markram added: 'It will be great to not have to hear it again, that's for sure.'
Saturday's victory was only South Africa's second ICC title in all, coming 27 years after they won the Champions Trophy back in 1998. Many of their gutwrenching defeats in major tournaments have come at the hands of Australia so this one will feel extra special.
Starting day four on the cusp of history at 2-213, this largely unheralded South Africa side took just one session to tick off the 69 runs required. And it saw them achieve greatness that Proteas legends such as Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, Shaun Pollock and AB de Villiers never could.
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Bavuma's leadership was hailed after the triumph, with the skipper's decision to send Australia in to bat after winning the toss vindicated. He also delivered with the bat despite being hampered by a hamstring injury throughout the match.
'I wasn't at 100 per cent fitness, but I felt that I was good enough to still do the job," Bavuma said afterwards. 'It was a tough decision ... it was very much an egotistical call, but I was happy to deal with whatever consequences came of it.'
For the Aussies, captain Pat Cummins admits they'll have to go back to the drawing board and flagged potential changes to their batting lineup for the upcoming West Indies tour. In particular, the top order gamble of Marnus Labuschagne opening with Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green batting at No.3 failed to pay off as they only contributed 49 of Australia's 419 runs across both innings.
'I don't particularly know why, but it does feel like a little bit of a fresh start," Cummins said. "You fast forward, you know, a couple of years (and) you start maybe thinking about who's going to - and hopefully we make the final - but who's going to be in that team and maybe do we want to get some games into them?
"Do we feel like now's the right time to change? Or do we hold with the team that got us to the final? I think we'll kind of got a couple of weeks before the first Test in the Windies, so I think we'll sit down and have a bit of a think after we digest this game. But for me, I think a new WTC cycle in some ways, does feel like a bit of a reset.'
The Heroes of the game ft. KG, Temba and Aiden Markram. The attitude and character shown by them was so remarkable. Well deserved to win!🏆#WTCFinal pic.twitter.com/qvSoakgwaK
— Rushikesh (@whyrushii) June 14, 2025
🚨 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘! 🇿🇦South Africa finally wins their first ICC trophy in 2️⃣7️⃣ years. 🏆Captain Bavuma & Co. made it happen! 💥What a thrilling final it was — South Africa conquered the mighty Aussies! 💪A historic moment for the Proteas. ✨#CricVerse | #AUSvSA | #WTCFinal pic.twitter.com/WAEKUWgtcx
— CricVerse (@CricVerse23) June 14, 2025
For the first time all 3 formats of the cricket world cups are held by 3 different teams. ODI: Aussies. T20I: Ind. & finally the coveted Test: South Africa. #WTCFinal #WtcFinal2025
— aranab (@iAranab) June 14, 2025
Selecting out of form players over and over again is what cost the Aussies this final. Nothing else. Change it up already. This boys club needs to end now please. #WTCFinal
— Alex Trovato (@alexdimov8) June 14, 2025
with AAP