Cricket legends, including Matthew Hayden and Sachin Tendulkar, praised Proteas captain Temba Bavuma for leading his team to victory in the ICC World Test Championship.
On Saturday, South Africa defeated Australia by 5 wickets, claiming their first ICC title in 27 years. Chasing a target of 282 for victory, the Proteas began their run chase positively on Day 3, with conditions favoring the batting side.
A strong partnership of 147 runs between Bavuma and Aiden Markram brought South Africa within reach of the target. David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne then guided the Proteas to a memorable win at Lord’s in the WTC final.
During the chase, Bavuma played through a hamstring injury on Day 3, hobbling between runs but managing to score 66 runs. Markram was the standout performer, finishing with a memorable century.
Australian legend Matthew Hayden was particularly complimentary of Bavuma’s leadership during Proteas’ chase.
“What a champion effort. You could see early doors he was struggling with his hamstring, but he hung in there,” Hayden, who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame last week, told Cricinfo. “He played really good simple cricket.”
India’s greatest batsman of all-time Sachin Tendulkar praised both Bavuma and Markram for their match winning knocks.
Markram and Bavuma’s innings wins Proteas the WTC
“Test cricket continues to weave its magic,” he said on X.
“In a final where every session had its own story, Proteas found calm in the storm. Markram’s composure and Bavuma’s grit under pressure stood tall in the fourth innings. A century that will be remembered, a partnership that turned hope into history. Congratulations to South Africa on becoming World Test Champions!”
How did you rate the WTC final?
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