3 reasons why South Africa won the WTC 2025 Final

South Africa ended their 27-year wait to win a world title when they beat Australia and claimed their first ever ICC title for nearly three decades. Aidan Markram scored a brilliant century in the final innings of the game that saw South Africa lift their title. Temba Bavuma led the side from the front and batted well to score a fifty in the second innings despite suffering from an injury. 

Captain Bavuma said, “It has been a special couple of days. At some point, I felt like we were back in South Africa with all the support in the stands. We have prepared hard for this, and we have worked hard for this moment. We came here with a lot of belief but also with a lot of doubters, and we are happy that we were able to play well enough to get that type of result”

Bavuma also added, “Special moment for us as a team, special moment for the people back home, probably will sink in a couple of days, but it’s been special. The energy was there; we have been wanting this as a team, we have been kind of knocking at the door, being relentless, getting ourselves into positions where we can be in the finals. We have gone through the heartache, we have gone through the disappointment, seen it with the past players who have come before us, and the sun is on us at the moment”

Here are the three reasons why South Africa won the WTC finals

3. Terrific captaincy skills on display

The game saw Australia get bowled out for 212 in their first innings and South Africa being skittled out for 138 to trail by 74. It was a considerable lead on a wicket which was doing a lot for the seam bowlers. Variable bounce had made life difficult for batters to contend against the seam bowlers. Bavuma at no stage looked like leaving the game out of hand as he rang in the bowling changes at will. This meant that Australia managed to score 207 runs on the board with a lead of 281 thanks to some rearguard action from the lower order. 

2.  Pace bowling heroics 

Kagiso Rabada came back to form in roaring fashion after a tough few months and took nine wickets for 110 runs in the game. In the first innings, Rabada picked 5/51 and followed it up with 4/59 in the second innings. The 30-year-old did the early damage in the second innings by dismissing Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in a space of three balls to set up the game. Lungi Ngidi also got three wickets in the second innings and accounted for the likes of Pat Cummins, Beau Webster, and the huge wicket of Steve Smith. Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder did their bit with the ball while Markram and Keshav Maharaj gave ample support. 

1. Aiden Markram’s century 

South African batter Aiden Markram scored a match-winning 136 off 207 balls to help his side chase down the 282-run target. The 31-year-old has been in great form with the bat, as seen during the IPL 2025 season. Markram lost his partner, Ryan Rickelton, early but found an able partner in Wiaan Mulder as the pair batted well. The 147-run stand for the third wicket with Bavuma paved the way for South Africa to win the game and the title. 

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