In Pictures: South Africa celebrate historic 2025 WTC triumph

South Africa beat Australia by five wickets in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at the iconic Lord's Cricket Stadium in London on Saturday, June 14. The Proteas resumed Day 4 at 213-2, needing a further 69 runs for a famous win. They completed the victory in the first session of play, losing three wickets in the process.

Skipper Temba Bavuma, who was unbeaten on 65 overnight, fell to his opposite number Pat Cummins after adding just one run to his score. The big wicket gave Australia hope of a fightback briefly. Aiden Markram, however, shut them out completely, continuing his great work the willow from Day 3.

Markram, who was unbeaten on 102 at stumps on Day, ended up scoring a magnificent 136 off 207 balls, a patient knock that featured 14 fours. He perished to Josh Hazlewood, with South Africa on the brink of victory. David Bedingham (21*) played yet another crucial innings, while a nervous Kyle Verreynne (4*) came in and hit the winning runs.

South African players celebrate after being crowned WTC 2025 champions. (Image Credits: Getty Images)

With the victory at Lord's, South Africa ended a 27-year long wait to lay their hands on an ICC trophy. Their previous triumph in an ICC event came under the late Hansie Cronje way back in 1998 when they won the ICC KnockOut Trophy in Bangladesh. The Proteas reached the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, but suffered a heartbreak, going down to India by seven runs in Barbados.

Aiden Markram kisses his wife Nicole Daniella O'Connor after playing the pivotal role in South Africa’s WTC 2025 triumph. (Image Credits: Getty Images)

South Africa were the underdogs going into the 2025 WTC final against Australia at Lord's. However, their bowlers came up with a magnificent performance to clean up Australia for 212 on the opening day of the Test match. Kagiso Rabada led the way with 5-51, while left-arm pacer Marco Jansen picked up 3-49.

Temba Bavuma celebrates the famous win with his son. (Image Credits: Getty Images)

The Aussies fought back strongly to knock over South Africa for 138 in 57.1 overs. Australian captain Pat Cummins led from the front with 6-28, while Mitchell Starc chipped in with two key wickets as the Aussies gained a significant 74-run lead. South Africa's never-say-die attitude, however, came to the fore as they reduced Australia to 144-8 in their second innings by stumps on Day 2.

Marco Jansen celebrates the win with spectators. (Image Credits: Getty Images)

A lower-order fightback from the Aussies pushed their total to 207 as Starc remained unbeaten on 58 off 136 balls. For South Africa, Rabada picked up four wickets, while Lungi Ngidi chipped in with three crucial scalps. Set a challenging target of 282, the Proteas lost Ryan Rickelton for six. However, Markram and skipper Bavuma featured in a match-defining stand to stun the Aussies.

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"Rejoice in this moment and just be one" - Temba Bavuma reacts to South Africa's special win

Speaking after South Africa pulled off an unexpected win over Australia in the WTC 2025 final at Lord's, skipper Bavuma admitted that the triumph is special. Reflecting on the victory, he said (as quoted by ESPNcricinfo):

"It's been a special couple of days. At some point, it felt like we were back in South Africa with all the support in the stands. We've prepared hard for this, we've worked hard for this moment. We came here with a lot of belief, I think also with a lot of doubters, and we're happy that we were able to play well enough to get that type of result. It's been a special moment..."

Kagiso Rabada, who played a key role in South Africa’s triumph, with the ICC Test Championship mace (Image Credits: Getty Images)

The 35-year-old, who has had his fair share of doubters, urged the entire Rainbow Nation to put aside their differences and celebrate the win as one. He also admitted that some critics doubted whether South Africa deserved to reach the final and hoped that the win would put to rest the skepticism around the team. He said:

"I think us as a team, we got ourselves into the final. There were doubts as to the route that we took, supposedly playing weaker teams. We're happy that we were able to perform like this, and hopefully that kind of squashes that. I think for us as a country, here's an opportunity for us to... as divided as we are at times, to forget all of that, rejoice in this moment and just be one."

Players and staff of South Africa celebrate the World Test Championship triumph on the team balcony. (Image Credits: Getty Images)

South African opener Markram was named the Player of the 2025 WTC final for his stupendous ton in the second innings. The right-handed batter, who was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, occupied the crease for 383 minutes in the second essay to guide the Proteas to a historic triumph, ending years of heartbreak.