South Africa Ends ICC Trophy Drought with Historic Win at Lord's
Historic Victory for South Africa
London [UK], June 15: South Africa has claimed its first ICC title since 1998, breaking a 28-year-long wait with a remarkable 5-wicket victory over Australia in the World Test Championship final held at the iconic Lord's.
This year has seen numerous sports teams break long-standing jinxes. Bologna celebrated their first title in 51 years, while Newcastle United ended a 56-year trophy drought. Tottenham Hotspur secured the Europa League after decades, and Paris Saint-Germain achieved their first UEFA Champions League title in history.
In the realm of cricket, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru concluded an 18-year wait by defeating Punjab Kings to win their inaugural IPL trophy. Now, South Africa has made history by ending its ICC trophy drought, which spanned an impressive 9,722 days.
The Proteas faced a challenging target of 282 runs to clinch the title. Aiden Markram played a pivotal role, scoring a brilliant 136 runs off 207 balls, paving the way for South Africa's triumph.
Under the leadership of Temba Bavuma, the team successfully chased down the 282-run target, marking their fifth-highest chase in Test cricket, with four of those victories coming against Australia. This chase also stands as the second-highest at Lord's.
With this victory, South Africa has extended its winning streak to eight matches, a run that began against the West Indies last August. This streak is the second-longest for the Proteas in Test cricket, only behind the nine consecutive wins achieved in 2002-03.
Notably, this eight-match winning streak is the longest in World Test Championship history, surpassing the previous records held by India and New Zealand, who each won seven consecutive matches during the inaugural cycle.
Bavuma continues to showcase his impressive record as South Africa's Test captain, with nine wins and one draw in his tenure. Only Percy Chapman of England has matched Bavuma's nine wins in the first ten matches as Test captain. Markram's 136 runs also marked his third century in the fourth innings, with only former captain Graeme Smith having more (four) for the Proteas in that context.