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The Hindu
16-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Deserving winners: on South Africa's win at Lord's
It was a long wait that culminated in delight. Until Saturday's high at Lord's, South Africa was often resigned to playing second fiddle in the big cricketing contests. The Proteas always had strong units and some great players, but a stumble in the climactic stages of ICC events became the norm. Finally, when Temba Bavuma's men prevailed over defending champion Australia in the World Test Championship's summit clash in London, many ghosts were laid to rest. South Africa's previous ICC silverware was the title in the Wills International Cup at Dhaka in 1998. That tournament became the precursor to the Champions Trophy and even as this particular event grew, South Africa regressed with comical run-outs, dropped catches and miscalculation of rain-rules often becoming steep hurdles. To concede a first innings lead and then to chase 282 in a grim fourth innings pursuit was never easy, but a dogged Bavuma and centurion Aiden Markram ensured that the early strikes of spearhead Kagiso Rabada were never wasted. The trio performed admirably and it was also a reflection of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute South Africa, often called the Rainbow Nation. This fact and the need for unity was reiterated through Bavuma's impassioned post-match speech. The skipper truly led from the front. Cricket needed this result as whispers of the 'Big Three' of India, Australia and England, calling the shots and elbowing out other opposition in the overall scheduling have been doing the rounds. Besides applying salve to a country searching for cricketing glory, the South African triumph also revealed that other teams can acquire the champions' halo. To get past Pat Cummins and his men is always tough but Bavuma and his troops held firm in an engrossing Test. Australia has a potent attack that never allows batters to settle, and to counter this and emerge on top is a tribute to an outfit that was acutely conscious about past failures. Even last year, Markram's men slipped in the ICC T20 World Cup final against India. From being tagged as chokers and to then become the number one Test squad is a stupendous achievement. South Africa never had it easy in cricket as its previous apartheid policy rightly left it isolated from sport. The comeback was gradual from the 1990s and then the match-fixing crisis that consumed Hansie Cronje, was a mighty blow. To put all these setbacks and losses behind them needed a special effort and it was this that Bavuma and his men provided at cricket's spiritual home.
The Hindu
16-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
In South Africa's greatest triumph, Markram makes an indelible mark
Just before the heavens opened up at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on the afternoon of June 29, 2024, a distraught Aiden Markram was subjected to a barrage of unpleasant queries on yet another heartbreak for South Africa. In the aftermath of a seven-run defeat to India in the T20 World Cup final, it was incumbent on Markram as skipper to try and explain how his team could botch up an eminently favourable position in a run chase of 177 — 30 runs were needed off the last five overs with six wickets in hand — to add to the country's gut-wrenching history of near-misses. The dreaded c-word, of course, had haunted many previous South African captains including Hansie Cronje, Shaun Pollock and Graeme Smith. Within a year from that day in the Caribbean, though, Markram has had his redemption, and how! At a sun-lit Lord's Cricket Ground in the heart of London on Saturday, the 30-year-old, in contrast to his emotions at the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, exulted with joy as South Africa vanquished old nemesis Australia in the World Test Championship final to lift its first major ICC title (it won the Wills International Cup in 1998 before the tournament was re-branded as the ICC Champions Trophy). Having produced a monumental 136 in the fourth innings to help the Proteas chase down 282, Markram, adjudged the Player-of-the-Match, was at the front and centre of South Africa's greatest triumph. Over six hours at the crease spanning Friday and Saturday, Markram demonstrated class, poise and nerves of steel to defy not just a formidable Australian bowling attack but also his country's tumultuous past. The psychological toll of last year's T20 World Cup final played on his mind even at the end of day three, when he was unbeaten on 102 with South Africa needing just 69 more runs to complete an epoch-defining win. So much so that Markram endured a sleepless Friday night. 'I tried to take a sleeping tablet, it didn't work,' Markram admitted at Saturday's post-match presser. 'The mind just couldn't switch off. I thought a lot about the T20 World Cup last night and how hopeless I felt sitting on the side after getting out. I was like, I don't want to sit there again. So it gave me a bit of motivation to make sure I stay at the crease if I could. It was always about just trying to get the job done and trying to win.' Markram didn't quite manage to be there in the middle right at the end when Kyle Verreynne hit the winning run off Mitchell Starc at the stroke of the lunch interval on Saturday. With six more runs needed for the result to be set in stone, Markram was attempting to draw the contest to a close in a blaze of glory with a flamboyant flick against Josh Hazlewood. For once in his masterful exhibition, he didn't execute the shot as desired and holed out to Travis Head at midwicket. As he began trudging back to the dressing room in disbelief, every Australian player on the field walked up to Markram to pat him on the back. And every one of the 30,000-odd spectators rose from their seats in unison to applaud a truly majestic display. As Pollock would mention on the official broadcast, it was fitting in a way that Markram, peeved as he must have been to not be there at the close, got to walk off to a standing ovation from the Lord's crowd. Standing out from the rest With his exploits at a venue steeped in rich tradition, Markram has left an indelible mark in the annals of South African cricket. To be clear, the nation has produced an array of bonafide greats since readmission into international cricket in 1991 – from the likes of Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and A.B. de Villiers with the bat to Pollock, Allan Donald and Dale Steyn with the ball. But none of these iconic figures managed to experience the satisfaction of delivering on the big day and winning titles. For Markram to walk an untrodden path and stand out reflects highly on his icy temperament. Going into the run chase of 282, the odds were understandably stacked against the South Africans. Just as they were heading into the final, not least because Australia was the defending champion. Yes, the surface eased up as the match wore on, but batting was evidently South Africa's weak link. It was noticeable in its first essay when it was shot out for 138 in reply to Australia's total of 212. Markram was dismissed for a blob in the very first over, inside-edging an inswinging delivery from Starc onto the stumps. Second time around, though, Markram was in his element, allaying the tension in the South African dressing room with some exquisite boundaries early on. Languid and easy on the eye, he got going with a delectable punch off Hazlewood through point for four. The delivery from the Australian metronome was slightly short of a good length, and Markram, with minimal transfer of weight onto his back foot, presented the vertical blade to pick the gap on the off-side. When Starc went full in the search for swing in the fifth over, there was none as Markram leaned forward and unfurled a silken cover drive for another boundary. As the innings progressed, the deft late cuts, honed in the shorter versions where he is ever so adept, were just as regal. If conquering the quicks is Markram's strong suit, he betrayed no sign of discomfort against Nathan Lyon's off-breaks either. With Starc's footmarks from the other end providing a few rough patches for the experienced offie to target, the threat confronting the South African batters was palpable. But the elegant batter from Centurion nullified Lyon with swift reading of length and precise footwork. Quite tellingly, in fact, Markram has now faced 270 deliveries from Lyon in his Test career without ever being dismissed. All of the Australian bowlers kept plugging away in the belief that the contest would turn, but Markram didn't allow any such thing to transpire. Game-changing performers holding the 𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒆 aloft after leading their sides to Test championship glory over the years 🤩#SAvAUS# — ICC (@ICC) June 14, 2025 All of this is illustrative of a player with the ability to occupy a place in the pantheon of batting luminaries from his country. But like many confounding things about South African cricket, it is hard to put a finger on why Markram's average languishes in the mid-30s after 46 Tests. It is, interestingly, against Australia that he seems to produce his best performances. Of his eight hundreds in the five-day version, three have come against the men from Down Under. 'The Australians and South Africans are pretty similar and they play the game in a similar way. Play the game hard, play the game to compete, and play the game to really win. I think it brings out the best in a lot of cricketers, and not just myself,' he said. That Markram is cut from a different cloth when it comes to handling pressure could perhaps be gleaned even before his senior debut in 2017. Three years prior to that, he was the skipper of the South African junior side that won the U-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. In the final against Pakistan, Markram led the way with an unbeaten 66 in a meagre chase of 132. It remains South Africa's only U-19 World Cup triumph till date. Is there something about the big games that supposedly brings out the best in Markram? 'I'm not sure. I got a duck in the first innings. So it's weird. I just think it's desperation to win, to be honest,' he answered. 'I've said it recently that I'm not here to chase numbers and stats and things like that. I really just want to win stuff for South Africa now. So I'm at peace with that. And I think it's quite a nice place to be in as a player because your full care is towards everyone in the changing room. If things work out then great, but the personal milestones and stuff like that will never be a thing now.' Having tasted blood, Markram clearly wants to build on this moment of glory. Well, if he goes about his business as serenely as he did against the Australians at Lord's, the rest of the cricketing world better watch out.
The Herald Scotland
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Aiden Markram helps South Africa beat Australia in World Test Championship final
Bavuma fell early on Saturday morning for 66 and, though Markram was dismissed six runs short of the victory target, his 136 was the crucial innings and allowed David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne to finish the job. South Africa's Kyle Verreynne, right, celebrates with team-mate David Bedingham after hitting the winning runs at Lord's (Ben Whitley/PA) It ends a series of agonising near misses for the five-time World Cup semi-finalists and 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up and marks the Proteas' first global trophy since 1998, when they won the Wills International Cup – the precursor to the Champions Trophy – and the Commonwealth Games. Markram told 5 Live Sports Extra: 'It's been a very long time coming, got close in the past couple of years and not been able to get over the line. 'The first one was always going to be the toughest one, the group of guys have been playing some really good cricket but it never really feels worth it until you win something. 'Because of us getting over the line today, a lot of emotions are coming out of some of the boys and they're just really proud of what they've achieved.' Bavuma had battled through a hamstring injury on Friday evening as he and Markram piled on the runs. He lasted only three overs of the fourth morning before a tame edge off rival captain Pat Cummins was taken by wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Tristan Stubbs dug in, contributing eight to a stand of 24 with Markram lasting nearly an hour before he was bowled by Mitchell Starc. South Africa's Aiden Markram, left, is congratulated on his match-winning innings by Australia's Marnus Labuschagne (Ben Whitley/PA) Bedingham settled South Africa's nerves in partnership with Markram as the pair put on 35 in 10 patient overs. Markram's brilliant innings finally came to an end when he whipped Josh Hazlewood into the leg side but was superbly taken low to his right by Travis Head. The fielder's lack of celebration suggested that the game was up and – though there was a final moment of drama when Verreynne gloved Starc through to Carey but was given not out, with Australia's reviews spent – the winning run came two balls later. South Africa's past failures at the business end of major tournaments, some of them farcical in nature, have seen the team labelled 'chokers' and Bavuma was happy to lay the ghost to rest. Temba Bavuma skippered South Africa to an emotional win (Ben Whitley/PA) He told 5 Live Sports Extra: 'While I was batting I heard some of the Aussies use that word, the 'choke' word. 'You see the elation of past greats, guys like Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers, they had that opportunity and with the greats they had, they weren't able to do something like this. 'So we know what we just did is not only for us, it's also for them. We've been etched in history, we're part of something that's never been done. 'It's special in a lot of ways. For South Africa, there's an opportunity for us to be united. We've got a cause in front of us where we can put aside our differences and live in this joyful moment as a nation.'
North Wales Chronicle
14-06-2025
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Aiden Markram helps South Africa beat Australia in World Test Championship final
Set 282 to win, 70 more than had been scored in any of the first three innings at Lord's, Markram and captain Temba Bavuma put on 147 to break the back of the chase. Bavuma fell early on Saturday morning for 66 and, though Markram was dismissed six runs short of the victory target, his 136 was the crucial innings and allowed David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne to finish the job. It ends a series of agonising near misses for the five-time World Cup semi-finalists and 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up and marks the Proteas' first global trophy since 1998, when they won the Wills International Cup – the precursor to the Champions Trophy – and the Commonwealth Games.
Leader Live
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Aiden Markram helps South Africa beat Australia in World Test Championship final
Set 282 to win, 70 more than had been scored in any of the first three innings at Lord's, Markram and captain Temba Bavuma put on 147 to break the back of the chase. Bavuma fell early on Saturday morning for 66 and, though Markram was dismissed six runs short of the victory target, his 136 was the crucial innings and allowed David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne to finish the job. It ends a series of agonising near misses for the five-time World Cup semi-finalists and 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up and marks the Proteas' first global trophy since 1998, when they won the Wills International Cup – the precursor to the Champions Trophy – and the Commonwealth Games. Markram told 5 Live Sports Extra: 'It's been a very long time coming, got close in the past couple of years and not been able to get over the line. 'The first one was always going to be the toughest one, the group of guys have been playing some really good cricket but it never really feels worth it until you win something. 'Because of us getting over the line today, a lot of emotions are coming out of some of the boys and they're just really proud of what they've achieved.' Bavuma had battled through a hamstring injury on Friday evening as he and Markram piled on the runs. He lasted only three overs of the fourth morning before a tame edge off rival captain Pat Cummins was taken by wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Tristan Stubbs dug in, contributing eight to a stand of 24 with Markram lasting nearly an hour before he was bowled by Mitchell Starc. Bedingham settled South Africa's nerves in partnership with Markram as the pair put on 35 in 10 patient overs. Markram's brilliant innings finally came to an end when he whipped Josh Hazlewood into the leg side but was superbly taken low to his right by Travis Head. The fielder's lack of celebration suggested that the game was up and – though there was a final moment of drama when Verreynne gloved Starc through to Carey but was given not out, with Australia's reviews spent – the winning run came two balls later.
