South Africa ended their 27-year trophy drought by clinching the 2023-25 World Test Championship, beating Australia by 5 wickets in the final at Lord's on Saturday. They follow in the footsteps of New Zealand and Australia as the winners of the WTC Finals.
Proteas were put on the cusp of victory by Aiden Markram's superb century and captain Temba Bavuma's gritty fifty on Day 3 of the Test.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!South Africa came into the day needing 69 runs more to win the WTC title and end years of heartache. Opener Markram, dismissed for a duck in the first innings, picked up from 102 not out and Bavuma from 65, battling on from a hamstring injury, limping as he completed runs between the wickets.
As South Africa reached the 286-run total, it became the second-highest successful run chase in a Test at Lord's. The highest chase at the iconic ground is the 344/1, requiring 342, made by the West Indies against England in 1984.
In 18 previous attempts in the 50-over and T20I formats, South Africa have only reached a solitary final -- at last year's T20 World Cup, when they fell apart within sight of victory.
2019-21 World Test Championship winners: New Zealand The inaugural WTC tournament kicked off with the 2019 Ashes series. In March 2020, the competition was halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Play resumed in July 2020, although some matches were postponed or cancelled.
New Zealand became the first team to reach the final after Australia’s series against South Africa was cancelled. India also secured their place in the final.
The championship match took place from June 18 to 23, 2021, at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Despite rain interruptions on two days, New Zealand emerged victorious on the reserve day, becoming the first-ever WTC champions.
2021-23 World Test Championship winners: Australia The second WTC cycle began in August 2021 with the Pataudi Trophy series between India and England. The ICC implemented a new points system for the tournament. Australia earned their spot in the final by winning the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India qualified for the final after Sri Lanka were unable to secure a victory against New Zealand. The final was held from June 7 to 11, 2023, at The Oval in London. Australia won the match by 209 runs, claiming their first WTC title.
World Test Championship winners| Edition | Winners | Opponents | Margin | Venue |
|---|
| 2019-21 | New Zealand | India | 8 wickets | Rose Bowl, Southampton |
| 2021-23 | Australia | India | 209 runs | The Oval, London |
| 2023-25 | South Africa | Australia | 5 wickets | Lord's, London |
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