South Africa look to discard chokers tag as WTC glory beckons
LONDON :Following decades of falling agonisingly short of success, South African cricket sits on the cusp of a first major triumph with 69 runs needed to win the World Test Championship at Lord's on Saturday.
South Africa have eight wickets in hand and are now overwhelming favourites to finish off the job, and take the title away from champions Australia, who had set them a daunting fourth innings target of 282 in the final on Friday.
Led by Aiden Markram's unbeaten century, they doggedly chased down the runs and will be looking to get over the line when action resumes on day four on Saturday.
But, at the same time, the Class of 2025 will be only too aware that past South African teams have been labelled 'chokers' for consistently coming up short when victory is in sight.
Therefore, the first thing coach Shukri Conrad said to Markram and captain Temba Bavuma after their unbeaten 143-run partnership on Friday was to ensure they stuck to their usual routine.
'Don't change a thing. Tomorrow morning, come and do the same warm up that you do every day. Just the same processes,' he told them.
Assistant coach Ashwill Prince was determined not to get too excited about the potential win, even if it is tantalisingly close.
'We obviously understand the magnitude of the situation and what's at stake. But they've just got to stay calm and take it in their stride,' he said at the end of Friday's play.
South African cricket's reputation comes from a long list of near-misses in World Cup semi-finals, including falling foul to a now-discredited rain rule or coming off second best even when the match ended up tied.
Last year they reached their first major final at the Twenty20 World Cup in Barbados, but with only 26 runs needed off the last four overs, fell seven runs short as India snatched an unlikely victory.
For this team, the message has been clear, added Prince.
'Make them believe that they can do it, and then just sort of step out of the way and allow them to go and do it,' he said.
'But there is a very right bond in that change room. They are willing each other over the line,' Prince added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
32 minutes ago
- CNA
Markram's match-winning ton earns him place in South African sporting folklore
LONDON :South Africa's batting hero Aiden Markram has taken longer than expected to deliver on his promise, but a match-winning century against Australia in the World Test Championship final is being hailed as the biggest in the country's cricketing history. The 30-year-old captained South Africa to success at the U-19 World Cup a decade ago but his senior career had only seen occasional glimpses of immense potential. However, his 136 for South Africa in the second innings at Lord's took the country to their first major cricketing triumph after decades of failure and ensured Markram a place in South African sporting folklore. Markram made his test debut at age 22, heartbreakingly run out on 97, and has since scored eight centuries and 13 fifties. But his average of 36.50 has been below expectation. He came into the WTC final without a century in his last 16 test knocks and failed to get on the board in the first innings. But when Markram returned to the crease on Friday, it was with an air of authority, albeit playing with circumspection and making the use of the sudden change in conditions after two days of dominance by the bowlers. 'I haven't scored more important runs. It's weird how things worked out after a duck in the first innings. You need a bit of luck, spending time in the middle and finding runs. I'm glad things worked out,' he told reporters as South Africa celebrated on Saturday. His plan in the second innings was to absorb the pressure but maximise scoring off loose balls, he added. There was also an early crisis to navigate when captain Temba Bavuma struggled with a hamstring strain as the pair began to put together what turned out to be a match-winning partnership. But Markram insisted Bavuma stay on despite it slowing down the accumulation of runs. 'Aiden is unbelievable, people have questioned his place, but he has character. He played in true Aiden fashion,' said Bavuma, whose 66-run contribution was also a factor. Markram looked to be in tears after reaching three figures late on Friday. 'Lord's is the place every test cricketer wants to play,' he explained. 'To play a final here is incredibly special. It's one of the most special days.'
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
South Africa beat Australia by five wickets to win World Test Championship
Cricket - 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final - South Africa v Australia - Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain - June 14, 2025 South Africa's Aiden Markram raises his bat to acknowledge the crowd and walks back to the Lord's Pavilion after losing his wicket, caught out by Australia's Travis Head off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers REUTERS LONDON - South Africa won the World Test Championship on Saturday, completing a remarkable turnaround to beat Australia by five wickets as they successfully chased down an imposing 282-run target. But it was an edgy finish as they took 27.4 overs to slowly score the 69 runs needed to secure success on the fourth day at Lord's after resuming at 213-2 overnight. In so doing, they completed a successful pursuit of the joint second-highest winning fourth-innings total in test history at the London venue. It was a first major cricket triumph for South Africa, who had earned an unwanted reputation for failure when on the cusp of victory over the last decades in limited overs competitions. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
South Africa beat Australia by five wickets to win World Test Championship
LONDON :South Africa won the World Test Championship on Saturday, completing a remarkable turnaround to beat Australia by five wickets as they successfully chased down an imposing 282-run target. But it was an edgy finish as they took 27.4 overs to slowly score the 69 runs needed to secure success on the fourth day at Lord's after resuming at 213-2 overnight. In so doing, they completed a successful pursuit of the joint second-highest winning fourth-innings total in test history at the London venue. It was a first major cricket triumph for South Africa, who had earned an unwanted reputation for failure when on the cusp of victory over the last decades in limited overs competitions.
