South Africa cricket team have finally done it! Temba Bavuma and co. ended the Proteas’ ICC trophy drought with a dominating 5-wicket win against Australia in the WTC final at Lord’s on Saturday. In 2019/21 cycle, SA finished 5th followed by a 3rd-place finish in the 2021/23 cycle.
South Africa beat all odds to win maiden WTC title
En route to their maiden World Test Championship final, South Africa managed to get 8 wins from 12 matches, along with 1 draw. The team only suffered three losses which came in late 2023 and early 2024. However, since then, the Proteas have been unstoppable.
The Proteas kick-started their WTC 2023/25 cycle with a 1-1 draw against India in the Freedom Trophy. They lost the 2nd Test as India handed them a 7-wicket thrashing, registering SA’s first defeat of the cycle.
Next, they were whitewashed 2-0 by New Zealand in their next away series. And since then, the Proteas have tasted nothing but victory in Tests. Bavuma and co. defeated West Indies 1-0, followed by three back-to-back 2-0 series wins against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
| Series | Result |
|---|---|
| Freedom Trophy (India in South Africa), 2023/24 | Drawn 1-1 (2) |
| Tangiwai Shield (South Africa in New Zealand), 2023/24 | New Zealand 2-0 (2) |
| Sir Vivian Richards Trophy (South Africa in West Indies), 2024 | South Africa 1-0 (2) |
| South Africa in Bangladesh Test Series, 2024/25 | South Africa 2-0 (2) |
| Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series, 2024/25 | South Africa 2-0 (2) |
| Pakistan in South Africa Test Series, 2024/25 | South Africa 2-0 (2) |
By the virtue of four back-to-back series wins, SA finished with 100 points to their name and a PCT of 69.44%. Thanks to their series win against Pakistan and India’s thrashing at the hands of Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Proteas sealed their berth in the WTC final.
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