Saturday 14th June 2025
The Ultimate Test, Day 4
It’s exactly 12:45 BST as Kyle Verreynne flays the fourth ball of Mitchell Starc’s 15th over to the cover boundary. He raises his arms to acknowledge the deafening cheers of the South African fans inside the home of cricket.
It has been 27 long years since a senior SA team last raised an ICC trophy. Nine Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty-two days of pain, humiliation and heartbreak. In the blink of an eye, that all seems to have been erased.
As the final runs are scored, I gaze across from my corner of the Media Centre. There are journalists who have covered over 300 test matches that are surprisingly quiet, tears welling in their eyes. It means that much.
There can be no doubt what it means to the fans, who have come from far and wide to witness history. I take the opportunity to run down to the Edrich stand, while the Australians receive their runners-up medals. I soak in the pure joy as every Proteas player is cheered to receive their medals.
There is a special, massive ovation for Temba Bavuma. He has led from the front on the field, playing with not only a damaged hamstring but a heavily strapped left arm. Departing the scene earlier than he had hoped on the fourth morning, he was able to watch this time as the chase unfolded.
What a final morning it was. Playing one of the most important Test innings’ in South Africa’s history, Aiden Markram anchored the Proteas effort, and batted himself into test match folklore.
He speaks to the media after the match, and admits that when he reached his hundred in the penultimate over of day 3, there were tears of emotion. The enormity of what he and the team has achieved is not lost on him. He admits to us that he didn’t sleep too well last night. He recalls the bitterness of defeat in the T20 World Cup Final, and tells us that he wanted to make sure that he was there at the end this time.
His Player of the Match performance took his band of brothers to within 6 runs of victory. It was the Wynberg High old boys that finally took them home. David Bedingham playing a crucial part in the last stanza of the game.
“The fans have been through thick and thin, so it’s just as special for them,” Markram says. This is echoed as I get the chance to chat to the long-suffering supporters. The emotion is clear, the relief tangible. There is not only a weight that has been lifted from the players’ shoulders but for every dedicated fan. “Chokers no more” could be the cry.
World Champions has a great ring to it. All those I speak to on their way out of Lord’s have a massive smile on their faces. They formed part of a crowd in excess of 20,000 who made their way to Lord’s today for one session. “They want to be here” comments the BBC’s cricket commentator. Indeed.
Being here is not just about raising the roof for the first Markram boundary on the fourth morning. It is about recognising what this could mean for Cricket, for South Africa. Sporting success on the global stage transcends sport itself in our unique country. This is not lost on Keshav Maharaj, as he is in tears talking to Graeme Smith. The magnitude of what this team has achieved may not sink in for a while.
As the stands at Lord’s now lie still, the strains of “Shosholoza” echo in my head. I keep hearing the chant of “Oooooh Temba Bavuuuumaa” as my eyes sweep across the home of cricket. Today, for a few wonderful, magical hours, Lord’s belonged to all South Africans.
The team, and all those associated with their success, are still in the home changeroom on the left of the famous pavilion. They deserve to savour this moment. In the time-honoured format that defines cricket, they have passed the Ultimate Test.
South Africa, Champions of the World.
