CHENNAI: As a teary-eyed Keshav Maharaj was embraced and held tight on his shoulders by former South Africa captain-turned-commentator Graeme Smith on Saturday, Russell Domingo felt the same emotion watching it on television miles away, back home. Maharaj's Test debut came at Perth — the first specialist spinner to make his debut at the WACA — when Domingo was the head coach of the South African team.
And he was not the only one to feel such emotions. Smith, Shaun Pollock, AB de Villiers and several former cricketers, friends and family of the current team, led by Temba Bavuma, were either in the stands or the commentary box of Lords cherishing the moment they and the millions of people back home had yearned and longed for years. South Africa are the World Champions in Test cricket.
Former Proteas coach Robin Peterson, who was supposed to be there but could not, was enjoying the moment too. He knew it would mean everything to Bavuma, who sat serene, heads down, while everyone around rose in jubilation when the winning runs were hit. The captain took a couple of moments before standing up and giving a fist bump, which was more than just that. It was a statement and more. ""It will be a great moment for Temba and his family. It's a great South African story. We will continue to have more of these stories going forward now with and the amount of kids that were watching and interested today in Test cricket, I mean these kids are they probably don't understand this cricket, but to watch six and seven year olds actually sit and watch today was really something to see," says Peterson.
Test cricket domination is not new to South Africa. They were a powerhouse under Smith with their golden generation of players stamping their authority all over the coach. They have held the Test mace, based on rankings back then, on several occasions and both Domingo, who was the coach, and Peterson knows what it feels like. This one is different in a way that it came with a knockout game, they were down and out after two days, the C-tag was used, again, but Aiden Markram, and Bavuma led the way back to glory.
Shortly after the result was sealed, Markram ran to the boundary ropes to meet a school friend who had offered him a beer, he drank it in celebration with the fans before joining the team. Then there was Kagiso Rabada who came in with the controversy of his suspension due to recreational drug use and delivered when it mattered the most. "We have done some incredible things as a Test nation and you saw a little bit of that DNA that came through in that final. When it counted we were able to do it. We may not do it in white-ball as we should, but certainly in Test cricket, when it comes to big matches, I think South Africa can deliver," says Peterson.
"Just watching his emotions yesterday, I mean, it was amazing. That's how passionate these players are playing for their country. They know in South Africa with our history, how important success on the cricket field is for our general psyche in our country. These players are the face of the team at the moment like, I suppose, Smith, Jacques Kallis, De Villiers, Hashim Amla were for a period of time. It's now the time for Rabada, Bavuma, Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Markham, and all these guys to get their time in the sun. So it's generation to generation," explains Domingo.
In all the celebration, the fact that South Africa men will not play a home Test till December 2026 hits hard. This summer, there will be the SA20 league followed by the T20 World Cup in India after their away tours. Both Domingo and Peterson hope that the number of Test South Africa get to play will go up in the next FTP cycle. "Yeah, let's hope so. South Africa has always been a big ticket team. They used to play four Test matches against England, India, and Australia. Now they're playing two Tests. Hopefully this will sort of want other teams to play against us more as well. Because if they want to test themselves, they're going to test themselves against the best," says Domingo.
"I think that team holds Test cricket very dearly to their hearts. They want to play test cricket. This would only reignite them to go again and I know that management staff will. They won't be satisfied with this title. They will celebrate it and they will understand the enormity. But in their minds, this is only a start to where they want to go. It would be nice if they could play a lot more Test cricket. Guys like Dewald Brevis and a lot more of them are waiting in the wings. This would have inspired them to win something. So we need to play and we need the big teams to want to come and play us more regularly," Peterson adds.
All that is for the future. For now, Domingo, Peterson, and the rainbow nation will be celebrating Temba's men. For they have made South Africa World Champions.
