South Africa create history by clinching first ICC title in 27 years | Sports | thenews.com.pk

outh Africa thus joined New Zealand and Australia as WTC champions. Three winners in three editions. Having a quiet ride they sent a second-string team to New Zealand a year ago. They have won nine Tests under Temba Bavuma’s captaincy without a defeat. They were behind

the game in the final for two days in the WTC final but turned things around remarkably on the third day.

Markram and Bavuma ensured tragedy didn’t strike. The target of 282, South Africa chased to win the WTC final against Australia, was their fifth highest chase in Test cricket. It was also the second-highest chase at Lord’s.

Three number of teams to win a men’s Test in England by scoring the highest total of the match in the fourth innings, before South Africa in the WTC final. West Indies won by scoring 344 at Lord’s in 1984 and 226 at The Oval in 1988 while England made 362 against Australia at Headingley in 2019.

The WTC final was the 8th consecutive wins for South Africa in Test cricket, a streak that began in the West Indies last year. It is their second-longest winning streak in the format, behind the nine successive wins in 2002-03. Their eight-match streak is also the longest winning run in the WTC; India and New Zealand had won seven in a row during the first WTC cycle.

It were nine Test wins and a draw for Temba Bavuma in ten matches as South Africa’s captain. Only England’s Percy Chapman (9) had as many wins as Bavuma in his first ten Tests as captain.

Last time South Africa won any ICC title way back in 1998 ICC Knockout, with its various names and caveats, the only reference point for South Africa’s global success. After so many near misses, they had a crowning moment.

Before the Test Championship final, South Africa were criticised for its supposedly easier road – it didn’t face Australia or England in a series in the 2023-25 WTC cycle – but it has won eight straight Tests, its second longest streak in history, and half of them away from home.

Last year, South Africa failed to chase down 30 runs in the last five overs with five wickets in hand in the T20 World Cup final as India clinched a thrilling victory by seven runs.

This pattern of underperforming in high-pressure situations has led to the nickname, which suggests a failure to handle the pressure and close out victories when victory seemed likely according to South Africa has a history of reaching the semi-finals or finals of major tournaments, only to lose in dramatic fashion.

During the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, South Africa showcased an impressive home record, clinching five victories out of six matches in three home series. Their sole defeat was a seven-wicket loss to India in Cape Town, notable for being the shortest Test in history, wrapping up in less than two days.

However, they achieved a clean sweep against both Sri Lanka and Pakistan. With a remarkable win-loss ratio of 5.0 at home, they outperformed every other team, while Australia followed with a ratio of 3.5 from ten home Tests. On foreign soil, South Africa also made strides, winning two out of three series, including a significant triumph over Bangladesh, their first Test series win in Asia in a decade.

Their away win-loss ratio of 1.50 ranked second in the cycle, just behind Australia’s 3.0. After a 2-0 defeat to New Zealand in 2024 with a less experienced squad, South Africa bounced back

to secure a 1-0 victory against the West Indies midway through their campaign. With three series and six Tests remaining, they sat seventh in the points table and needed a clean sweep to reach the finals.

Remarkably, they managed just that, achieving an eight-Test winning streak-the longest for any team since the inception of the WTC in 2019. The previous record stood at seven matches.

In South Africa’s nine victories, 15 different players either scored a century or took four wickets, the highest total for any team. Of those players, nine participated in the final, while four were on the bench. Rabada led the pack with five four-wicket hauls, and wicketkeeper

Kyle Verreynne, who was pivotal in hitting the winning runs in the final, recorded three centuries. Additionally, South Africa had nine different players receiving Player-of-the-Match awards, once again the highest tally for any team in the cycle.

The South African cricket team has a strong history but has faced some unfortunate circumstances in the Cricket World Cup. There are several reasons why South Africa have not won the World Cup.

Way back in the 1999 World Cup, when South Africa were playing against Australia, Herschelle Gibbs dropped a very important catch of skipper Steve Waugh who went on to score a match- winning 120 not out, helping Australia win that match to advance to the semi-finals in which they played South Africa again.

The word spread after the dropped catch that Steve Waugh told Gibbs that he might have just dropped the World Cup!

This was when the South African squad earned the title of” chokers”; and the name remains attached to them although they are one of the top cricketing nations with some very experienced and talented players. Their inability to win any major world title like the World Cup, World Twenty20 or Champions Trophy has confirmed the tag.

They were unlucky in the 1992 World Cup, their first, when rain stopped their semi-final against England at a stage when they needed 22 runs from 13 balls. When they returned they were given 22 to score off just one ball because of the stupid formula devised then for rain- affected matches.

In 1996, one of the favourites, they were beaten in the quarter-final by West Indies in Karachi. Chasing a modest target of 265, South Africa got all out on 245.

In the 1999 World Cup semi-final against Australia at Edgbaston, South Africa needed only one run from the last four balls of the match but the last pair on the crease had a terrible mix-up and got run out. The game ended in a tie and Australia reached the final with a better record in the qualifying round.

In the 2003 World Cup that was held in South Africa, the hosts failed to qualify for the Super-8 stage.

In the 2007 World Cup semi-final in the West Indies, Australia bowled out the Proteas for just 149 after South Africa won the toss and elected to bat. Australia chased the target in just 31.3 overs for the loss of 3 wickets.

In 2011 at Dhaka, South Africa failed to chase 223 against New Zealand in the quarter-final, bowled out for 172 in the 44th over. They were 108-2 in the 25th over but lost their last seven wickets for only 64 runs.

In the T20 World Cup 2021, it was not just one match but a combination of two matches that cost the Proteas a chance in the semi-final. In the first game against Australia, they had the Aussies down at 38/3 in 8 overs, chasing 119 to win.

But the biggest shocker for the Proteas was their loss at the hands of the Netherlands in the 2022 T20 World Cup. They only needed that win to go ahead of Pakistan in the points table but they messed up yet again.

South Africa do have match winners in the squad. They, however, lack a killer instinct. They lack the ability to raise themselves for a one-off knockout tie and win the game. They are a good consistent team within a series but don’t have the Siege mentality to put themselves together to defeat an opponent.

The final of the T20 World Cup was the best chance for South Africa to remove the tag of “chokers”; but they failed. Now they have to wait for years.

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