After generations of disappointment and heartbreak South Africa shrugged off the tag that has long haunted them with victory in the World Test Championship here. For years they have been smeared as chokers, but no more.
“While we were batting we could hear the Aussies using that dreaded word: choke,” said Temba Bavuma, the South Africa captain. “We came in with a lot of belief and a lot of doubters. We got ourselves into the final, there were doubters as to the route we took. This win squashes that. Here’s an opportunity for us as a nation, divided as we are, to unite.”
Aiden Markram, who scored a match-changing 136 before falling six runs from victory, said the result had redefined South Africa’s Test team. “It’ll be great to not have to hear that again,” he said of being labelled chokers. “To have got the job done and to get rid of that is quite a big thing for this team. All the questions that have been asked in the past have now been answered.”
Bavuma, who scored 66 in the second innings, much of it while struggling with a hamstring injury, said he hoped the triumph would unify his nation. “The word that comes to mind is special: special for this group, special for myself and special for the country,.
“As a country, it’s a chance for us to rejoice in something, to forget about our issues and really come together. I hope it inspires and continues to inspire our country. For this group of players, there were a lot of doubters but the way we played would have wiped all of that out.
“The experiences I’ve had in the last couple of years, it hasn’t been easy. It’s not easy being captain of South Africa and all the sacrifices, all the disappointment, it feels worth it. When you’re going through it, giving up is always an option but something kind of wills you on. For me, it was that moment there. To be recognised as more than just a Black African cricketer, but to be seen as someone who’s done something the country has wanted.”
While there was tears of joy from some of the winning team during their celebrations Markram’s had come the previous evening, when with victory starting to seem not just achievable but inevitable, he sealed his century. “I was pretty emotional,” he said.
“From about quarter past five the game slowed down. I had a bit of time to look around and see all the fans, my family, all my mates that were there, to look up at the changing room. And then I was like: ‘Yes. We’re here now. We’re getting close.’ It caught me off guard. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster.”
With a new World Test Championship cycle starting next week, building up to a final also likely to be played in England, in 2027, the Australia captain, Pat Cummins, said this might be a natural time to refresh his team. “It does feel like a fresh start. “In white-ball series, a lot of the time you build in cycles around World Cups, and maybe this is an opportunity in Test matches to do something similar. You’ve got guys who are right on the fringes. After this Test match, everyone gets thrown back into the conversation.”
