On June 14, 2025, at Lord's, the most storied ground in cricket, a nation's 27-year wait for redemption ended. South Africa, so often the nearly men of world cricket, finally scaled their Everest. The scoreboard read: South Africa 282 for 5, victorious by five wickets over Australia, crowned World Test Champions.
For a generation of Proteas, and for the millions who have lived every heartbreak, this was more than a win. It was the exorcism of ghosts, the breaking of a curse, and the rewriting of a national sporting narrative that had been defined for too long by the word “chokers”.
The scenes at Lord’s were electric. South African flags fluttered, tears flowed, and the chorus of “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” rang out from the stands, echoing across continents. The players, many of whom had grown up idolizing the likes of Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers and Shaun Pollock, embraced in disbelief and joy. For the first time since 1998, South Africa held an ICC trophy aloft.
For decades, the Proteas’ story was one of promise and pain. The “chokers” tag, as cruel as it was persistent, clung to them through World Cups and Champions Trophies, through rain rules and run-outs.
The 1999 World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston remains the most infamous: Lance Klusener’s heroics undone by a calamitous run-out, Allan Donald stranded, dreams dashed.
In 2003, at home, a misread Duckworth-Lewis calculation sent them crashing out in the group stage. In 2015, heartbreak in Auckland as Grant Elliott’s six consigned AB de Villiers’ men to another semi-final defeat. Even the inaugural WTC cycle (2021–23) ended in disappointment, South Africa falling short of the final. Each failure etched the “chokers” narrative deeper.
The journey to Lord’s was not just a cricketing campaign, but a national odyssey. The scars of the 2024 T20 World Cup final loss to India were still raw. That defeat, so close and yet so far, became a rallying point for the Test side. “We had to use that pain,” said coach Shukri Conrad after the final. “It made us hungrier, more united. We wanted to write our own history”.
Over the 2023–25 WTC cycle, South Africa were relentless. They swept Pakistan at home, with Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen sharing 28 wickets in two Tests.
In New Zealand, Aiden Markram’s twin centuries in Wellington turned a deficit into a series win. Against India at Centurion, Temba Bavuma’s gritty 91 and a five-for from Keshav Maharaj sealed a famous victory. Even in the cauldron of the Gabba, they held Australia to a draw, Rabada’s reverse-swing masterclass earning plaudits.
Ryan Rickelton emerged as a reliable presence at No. 5, while David Bedingham’s counterattacking hundreds in Sri Lanka helped clinch a tricky away series. The team’s resilience was forged in adversity - injuries, hostile crowds, and the ever-present pressure of expectations.
Australia won the toss and batted, but Kagiso Rabada was unplayable. His opening burst removed Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green before lunch. Steve Smith resisted, but Rabada returned to snare him. Australia were bowled out for 212, Rabada finishing with 5 for 51.
South Africa’s reply began shakily. Markram fell for a duck, and at 25 for 3, the familiar spectre of collapse loomed. Bavuma and Bedingham steadied the ship, but by stumps, South Africa were 43 for 4, trailing by 169 runs.
Bavuma’s innings was a study in courage. He eked out a vital 36 before falling to Cummins. Bedingham top-scored with 45, but South Africa were bowled out for 138, trailing by 74 runs.
Australia’s second innings saw Rabada and Ngidi combine for early breakthroughs. Travis Head counterpunched, but wickets tumbled. By close, Australia were 144 for 8, leading by 218 runs.
Australia lost their ninth wicket soon but were rescued by a stubborn 59-run last-wicket stand between Mitchell Starc (58*) and Josh Hazlewood, pushing their second-innings total to 207 and setting South Africa a daunting 282 to win. Rabada’s 4 for 59 capped a nine-wicket match haul.
South Africa’s reply was defined by composure and grit. Markram, out for a duck in the first innings, struck a brilliant unbeaten century, while Bavuma offered determined support. By stumps, their unbroken 143-run partnership had taken South Africa to 213 for 2, just 69 runs from history.
The tension was suffocating. Australia took two quick wickets, but Markram, joined by Rickelton and then Bedingham, steadied nerves. Markram’s 136 was a masterclass in composure. When Kyle Verreynne clipped the winning run, the South African balcony erupted. The final margin: South Africa 282 for 5, winning by five wickets -- the second-highest successful run chase in a Lord's Test.
For South Africa, Test cricket has always been more than a game. It is a stage for resilience, for the slow burn of hope and heartbreak. As Graeme Smith once said, “Test cricket is where you find out who you are. It’s the ultimate challenge, and for South Africans, it’s the format where we’ve always measured ourselves” (quoted in The Cricket Monthly, 2017).
AB de Villiers, who carried the nation’s hopes for a decade, reflected after retirement: “We’ve come close so many times. But Test cricket, with its battles and its stories, is where South African cricket’s soul lives” (Wisden, 2019).
The cultural pull is deep. In the townships and suburbs, in the highveld and the Cape, Test cricket is a thread that binds generations. The five-day format, with its demands of patience and character, mirrors the country’s own journey—long, arduous, but ultimately triumphant.
This victory is more than a trophy. It is a turning point, a moment that will inspire future generations to believe that no curse is forever, that history can be rewritten. The young cricketers watching Markram and Bavuma at Lord’s will grow up knowing that South Africa can win on the biggest stage.
As Keshav Maharaj said, “We honour those who've come before us, may this be a stepping stone for greater things to come”. The rainbow nation, so often divided, found unity in whites.
On a sunlit afternoon at Lord's, South Africa's final frontier was conquered. The "chokers" tag, once a shackle, was shattered. The Proteas are champions, their redemption complete. For 27 years, they waited. Today, they are immortal.