South Africa ended their ICC trophy drought and defeated Australia to win the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025. South Africa were heavy underdogs in the final, but they completely outplayed the defending champions. Aiden Markram and captain Temba Bavuma laid the foundation for the 282-run chase.

Markram scored a brilliant 136 while Bavuma played a magnificent 66-run innings to help South Africa win by five wickets. Earlier, Kagiso Rabada's brilliance helped South Africa bowl out Australia for 212 and 207, respectively. Australia put South Africa under pressure in the first innings after bowling them out for 138, courtesy of a brilliant six-wicket haul by Pat Cummins; however, that was the last of Australia's dominance in the game as South Africa took full control from there on.

Temba Bavuma created history

Temba Bavuma has been a terrific captain for South Africa, and the win over Australia helped him create a unique captaincy record. Bavuma broke the record of Australia's Warwick Armstrong, who captained from 1920-21, to become the only captain in the world to win nine Test matches without losing a Test. He is only the second captain in history to remain unbeaten after leading in 10 matches. Bavuma is also the second-quickest captain after Percy Chapman to complete nine wins in Test cricket.

Bavuma's Record As Captain

Out of the 9 Test wins, four came against West Indies, two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and the WTC final against Australia.

Meanwhile, the win also ended South Africa's poor record in ICC knockouts. After years of heartbreaks, South Africa are finally world champions, and well deserving too.

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