South Africa return home to resounding welcome after WTC win

The South African cricket team arrived home to a hero’s welcome at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday morning, June 18, after winning the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 title.

They were greeted by South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Gayton McKenzie, and a big throng. Well-wishers included youngsters and students from the players’ former schools, including Aiden Markram’s alma mater, Pretoria Boys High School, as well as family members, including Wiaan Mulder’s brother.

The athletes took the time to sign autographs, pose for photos, and accept flowers and heartfelt embraces. They wore custom-made ‘Champions’ t-shirts and subsequently went to Cricket South Africa’s offices in the city’s north, where they were greeted by a brass band, a red carpet, and boisterous celebrations.

Welcome home, World Champions 🇿🇦🏆!

A hero’s return for our ICC World Test Champions, our Proteas men’s team 🔥💪!

Greeted with pride and celebration, the team touched down to a warm public reception and a special welcome from Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie 🇿🇦.

A moment of… pic.twitter.com/5Mo4OIxiRV

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 18, 2025

The vibes are immaculate 🇿🇦🔥

A warm public reception as Mzansi welcomes home its ICC World Test Champions 🏏. #WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/Qb95Kc0T5X

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 18, 2025

The Home of South African Cricket📍🏢

Our ICC World Test Champions arriving at the Cricket South Africa Head Office following their historic conquest of the World Test Championship 🏆🔥. #WTCFinal #ProteasWTCFinal #WozaNawe pic.twitter.com/1QefksmPvl

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 18, 2025

“It’s quite overwhelming.” We have never seen folks like that at the airport before. As players, you don’t comprehend what you’ve done, but when you start interacting with people and seeing the emotion, you get a better understanding of what we’ve done,” Temba Bavuma remarked in the press conference.

“We are proud as a team, but we are even more pleased and thrilled that we have made our colleagues proud. If you look at this team and the people in charge, you’ll notice that we did it the South African way. That is unique to this group.

“We’ve embraced everything it means to be South African,” he said.

The Proteas’ victory in the WTC 2023-25 cycle was a monument to true teamwork, with nine different players named Player of the Match and 15 players hitting a century or taking five wickets. The captain emphasised that the triumph was not only for the team or the athletes, but for all South Africans.

“What we’ve accomplished speaks to all aspiring cricketers and persons in South Africa. As a group, we have a story. It has not been a straightforward or easy one. We’ve been through a lot, but we made it to where we are now. So, similarly, for them (ordinary people) on their quest and trip to reach their goals, as long as they maintain their passion and keep pushing, they may achieve what others believe is impossible,” Bavuma stated.

We want to carry on with the momentum: Temba Bavuma

Enoch Nkwe was appointed as Director of Cricket in July 2022, and Shukri Conrad will serve as head coach across formats, including white-ball cricket, until the end of the 2027 ODI World Cup, set to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Bavuma will likely lead the ODI side and has expressed hope that the team can finally lift the trophy on home soil.

“We want to carry on with the momentum we’ve gained. We are quietly optimistic as to what can happen in the white-ball space. We see no reason as to why we can’t emulate what we’ve done here. We are more optimistic than anything. We had a little conversation about it. Shukri’s mind is always ticking. He lets you know that there’s always some sort of work you need to do,” Bavuma said.