At Lord’s Cricket Ground today, South Africa won their first ICC Trophy of the century, defeating defending champions Australia by five wickets.
After winning the ICC elimination Trophy in 1998, South Africa went 27 years without a major trophy, losing more than a dozen elimination matches. They came agonisingly close to breaking the curse in the 2024 T20WC, but fell heartbreakingly short against India despite having the game in hand.
But the wait is over. Temba Bavuma has helped South Africa break the curse, becoming the first South African captain to win a world title.
Not only that, but Bavuma has made history by being the first skipper to win the World Test Championship (WTC) without losing a match.
In this WTC cycle, Bavuma led South Africa in eight matches, seven of which the Proteas won and one was drawn. Not only that, but Bavuma remains unbeaten as a Test skipper, with nine wins and one draw.
In the final, Bavuma scored 36 in the first innings and 66 in the second to seal the win. He blew his hamstring early in the second innings, but in a valiant effort, Bavuma batted on and put together a match-winning 147-run third wicket stand with Aiden Markram.
Bavuma has now scored 30 or more runs in nine straight Tests. Only one captain in Test cricket history has scored 30 or more runs on successive occasions, and that is former England skipper Ted Dexter.
Most consecutive 30+ scores by a captain in Tests
11 – Ted Dexter (1962-63)
9 – Temba Bavuma (2024- )
9 – Inzamam-ul-Haq (2005)
8 – Babar Azam (2021-22)
8 – Steven Smith (2016)
8 – Andrew Strauss (2006-07)
8 – Peter May (1955-56)
South Africa have now won 8 Tests in a row. It’s their second-longest winning streak in Tests
Longest winning streak for South Africa in Tests
9 – 2002-03
8* – 2024-present
6 – 2012-13
India
