South Africa Clinches ICC World Test Championship 2023–25 Title.
Sports
In a gripping final held at London’s prestigious Lord’s Cricket Ground from June 11–14, 2025, South Africa defeated Australia by five wickets, securing their inaugural ICC World Test Championship️ victory after a 27-year wait. This triumph marks their first major ICC title since 1998 and comes with a US $3.6 million winners' purse (Australia received $2.16 million).
- Chasing a target of 282, South Africa mounted a dramatic comeback on Day 4: Aiden Markram starred with a pivotal 136-run innings, earning Player of the Match honors, while Temba Bavuma contributed a gritty 66 despite battling injury.
- Winning at Lord’s—the “home of cricket”—elevated the victory's prestige. Fans and officials celebrated across South Africa, with thousands greeting the team upon their return to Johannesburg.
- The 2023–25 WTC cycle spanned from June 2023 to this final, featured 9 teams in a league format with 70 matches, and concluded with South Africa toppling Australia—who were favorites—to claim the title.
Main Point :- (i) Head coach Shukri Conrad asserts that this success will catalyze better performances across formats. Though South Africa faces limited home fixtures and a constrained schedule until October 2026, the win reinforces their claim as a top-tier Test nation.
(ii) Former captain AB de Villiers emphasized the need to reevaluate the WTC format after the tightly scheduled cycles. The 2025–27 cycle has already begun, with the final stages coming swiftly after the current one ended.
(iii) South Africa’s triumph in the 2023–25 ICC World Test Championship isn’t just about lifting a trophy—it’s a landmark moment that breaks decades of ICC title drought. With heroics from Markram, Bavuma, and Rabada and celebrated on home soil, this win may be the springboard for a resurgence of Test cricket tradition in South Africa and beyond.
About International Cricket Council (ICC)
Chairman : Jay Shah (India)
Headquarters : Dubai
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