.svg)
Aiden Markram’s brilliant century led South Africa to a historic five-wicket victory over Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s on Saturday, ending the Proteas’ long-standing quest for a major international cricket title.
Chasing 282 for victory, South Africa reached their target with 282-5 just before lunch on day four. Markram played a pivotal role, scoring 136 runs before being dismissed with only six runs needed for the win.
This triumph marked a major milestone for South Africa, who had previously fallen short in all 18 attempts at global tournaments, including just one final appearance — last year's T20 World Cup in Barbados. Despite being in a winning position, they lost to India after failing to chase 30 runs in the final five overs with six wickets in hand.
However, this time the team maintained composure, resuming play on Saturday at 213-2 with Markram already past his century.
Match Summary:
Australia 1st innings: 212 (Webster 72, Smith 66; Rabada 5-51, Jansen 3-49)
South Africa 1st innings: 138 (Bedingham 45; Cummins 6-28)
Australia 2nd innings: 207 (Starc 58*; Rabada 4-59, Ngidi 3-38)
South Africa 2nd innings: 282-5 (Markram 136, Bavuma 66; Starc 3-66)
Result: South Africa won by 5 wickets
