The numbers behind South Africa's WTC25 triumph
It was the stuff of dreams, and in a way a triumph against all odds, numbers and previous history.
After claiming the ICC World Test Championship mace, a look at some of the numbers around South Africa's victory, and the heroes that helped break new ground.
South Africa beat Australia to seize the Ultimate Test | Full Match Highlights | WTC25 Final
Watch the full match highlights as Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada led the way as South Africa bested the defending champions Australia to clinch the World Test Championship mace at Lord's.
Less than 12 months ago, a World Test Championship Final berth may have felt a bridge too far.
The team sat only above the West Indies and Bangladesh, having slipped to three consecutive defeats.
The addition of key players, and a rethink into their red-ball approach, inspired a comeback that saw them climb up the table, sneaking into a Final almost no one had considered them reaching.
India and Australia looked best-placed, with a late New Zealand run and even a Sri Lankan push hypothesised, though it was the under-the-radar Proteas to prevail.
The side won their final seven Tests in the cycle, with a draw at the start of their West Indies tour in early August 2024 the only blemish in the run.
Proteas celebrate World Test Championship triumph at Lord's | WTC25 Final
South Africa players all smiles as they pose with the World Test Championship mace after sealing off a special win at Lord's.
The win means the extended run unbeaten goes to 10 Tests for Temba Bavuma in his start as Proteas captain.
The nine wins in Test matches is a record in the game as well, with Bavuma sharing the honour with England's Percy Chapman, who led his side in the late 1920s and 1930s.
Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma sums up a win for the ages | WTC25 Final
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma speaks after they beat Australia in the ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord's.
Bavuma passed fifty a staggering seven times in 13 innings across the cycle, leading the side on the field and in the runs column (711 runs alongside David Bedingham on the same figure).
Only Kusal Mendis (62.38) beat out Bavuma's average of 59.25, of players to bat more than five times in the cycle.
Aiden Markram's heroic effort means he joins England's Ben Stokes as the only current players to make three centuries in the fourth innings of a Test.
Standing up in tough situations and in a chase, Markram shone again
The three also puts him with a host of historic greats such as Sir Don Bradman, Mahela Jayawardena, Gordon Greenidge and Sachin Tendulkar, with Graeme Smith (4) the only Protea with more next to his name.
Markram's splendid ton guides Proteas to historic win | Aramco POTM Highlights | WTC25 Final
Aiden Markram lead the Proteas push to the ICC World Test Championship triumph with a century for the ages at Lord's.
South Africa seem to enjoy the challenge of Australia in chases, with the effort in London their fifth-highest chase in Test cricket, and with four of five of them coming against their Southen Hemisphere rivals.
Kagiso Rabada raced home with another nine wicket in the Lord's Final, finishing with a staggering 56 at just 18.93.
The Proteas in the build-up dubbed Rabada the best in the world, and the numbers suggest their spearhead has a case.
Of those to play 10 or more matches in the cycle, only Jasprit Bumrah (15.09) outperformed Rabada.
Every Kagiso Rabada wicket from WTC25 Final
All nine wickets from Kagiso Rabada in the World Test Championship Final 2025 at Lord's
It's been a gap of almost 10,000 days since their last ICC trophy, a win at the ICC Knockout in 1998.
In the period of final stages heartbreak, South Africa won 559 of 980 matches across all three formats of international cricket, putting them third behind Australia (683/1103) and India (685/1206).
Australia's unsuccessful defence at Lord's means three different teams have lifted the mace in the first three editions of the event, with the Temba Bavuma joining Pat Cummins and New Zealand's Kane Williamson as winning captains.
South Africa joined New Zealand as teams to win chasing, with the Black Caps beating India by eight wickets in 2021, and South Africa passing Australia's target of 282 with five wickets in hand on Saturday.
Jansen revels in Proteas glory | WTC25 Final
Marco Jansen opens up after South Africa's World Test Championship Final win at Lord's.
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