Lord’s, Day 4 – World Test Championship Final

South Africa 138 & 282-5 (Markram 136)
Australia 212 & 207 (Rabada 9 wickets in match)
South Africa win by five wickets

South Africa clinched their first major global cricket title in emphatic style, defeating Australia by five wickets in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s. The victory marks a watershed moment in the Proteas’ cricketing history and caps a dominant performance over four days of high-quality Test cricket.

Resuming on 213-2 and needing just 69 more runs to seal victory on the fourth morning, South Africa faced a brief wobble as Australia’s bowlers tried to conjure a miracle. Pat Cummins struck early, removing South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma for 66, caught behind in just the third over of the day.

Australia continued to press when Mitchell Starc bowled Tristan Stubbs with 41 runs still required, injecting tension into the South African camp.

However, Aiden Markram stood tall. Continuing his fluent innings from the previous day, he compiled a magnificent 136 — the only century in the match — before falling just short of seeing the job through, flicking Josh Hazlewood straight to Travis Head at mid-wicket with the finish line in sight.

It was left to David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne to complete the chase. Verreynne fittingly struck the winning run — a crisp drive through the covers off Starc — before raising his arms in triumph as South Africa’s players erupted in celebration.

The successful pursuit of 276 was the joint second-highest fourth-innings chase ever at Lord’s, standing alongside England’s famous run chase in 2004 and just behind the West Indies’ iconic 342 in 1984.

With this win, South Africa become the third team to lift the World Test Championship trophy, following in the footsteps of New Zealand (2021) and Australia (2023). Kagiso Rabada was instrumental with the ball, claiming nine wickets across both innings, while Markram’s century provided the backbone of the match-winning innings.

After years of near-misses and heartbreak in ICC events, South Africa finally have their moment of glory on the biggest red-ball stage.