South Africa finally ended their decades-long hunt for a major international trophy by defeating Australia by five wickets in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s — a historic triumph that marks their first global title in men's cricket.

Resuming their second innings at 213 for 2 on the fourth morning, the Proteas required just 69 more runs to chase down the target and claim the championship. 

Though the victory was within reach, Australia made early inroads to briefly stir nerves in the South African camp.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins struck in just the third over of the day, removing his counterpart Temba Bavuma for 66 as the South African captain edged behind to Alex Carey. That early breakthrough gave the Aussies a glimmer of hope.

The tension grew when Mitchell Starc breached Tristan Stubbs’ defence with 41 still needed, adding a flicker of drama to an otherwise composed pursuit.

But Aiden Markram, who had anchored the innings with a magnificent 136 — the only century in the match — remained unshaken. His fluent knock brought South Africa within touching distance before he was dismissed, flicking Josh Hazlewood to mid-wicket where Travis Head took a sharp catch.

It was left to David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne to complete the final push. Fittingly, it was Verreynne who drove Starc through the covers for a single to seal victory, raising his arms in jubilation as South Africa celebrated a long-awaited moment of glory.

The successful chase — one of the highest ever at Lord’s in Test cricket — matched the second-best fourth-innings total at the historic venue, behind only the West Indies’ legendary pursuit of 342 in 1984.

With this victory, South Africa become the third nation to lift the World Test Championship mace, following in the footsteps of New Zealand (2021) and Australia (2023).

Source: BBC

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