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In a historic victory, South Africa emerged the winner of the third ICC World Test Championship (WTC) by beating Australia by five wickets at the historic Lord's Cricket Ground in London on June 14, 2025.
The victory is South Africa's first WTC championship title and their first ICC men's senior major trophy since 1998, with a 27-year wait for an ICC championship coming to an end.
The Final Match Overview
The last, from June 11 to 14, 2025, was a highly competitive match between the best two Test sides. Australia, champions at the time and then number one in the ICC Test rankings, gave South Africa a target of 282 runs to win.
The chase for South Africa was spearheaded by a dominant century by opener Aiden Markram, who made 136 runs, giving solidity to the successful run chase.
Final Match Summary
| Team | 1st Innings | 2nd Innings | Total Runs |
| Australia | 212 (56.4 overs) | 207 (65 overs) | 419 |
| South Africa | 138 (57.1 overs) | 282/5 (83.4 overs) | 420/5 (won by 5 wickets) |
- South Africa won the toss and elected to field.
- Key performers: Aiden Markram (136 runs), Kagiso Rabada (5/51 & 4/59), Pat Cummins (6/28)
Captain Temba Bavuma added a gritty 66 runs, guiding the team through nervous phases, including his fall early on the fourth morning that momentarily gave hope to Australia.
Even after losing Bavuma and subsequently Tristan Stubbs, South Africa remained calm. The key associations, particularly between Markram and David Bedingham, kept the chase going. The winning shots were hit by wicketkeeper-batsman Kyle Verreynne, winning a classic victory for the Proteas.
ICC World Test Championship 2023-2025 Points Table (Top 5 Teams)
| Rank | Team | Matches (M) | Wins (W) | Losses (L) | Draws (D) | Points (PT) | Percentage (PCT) |
| 1 | South Africa | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 100 | 69.44% |
| 2 | Australia | 19 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 154 | 67.54% |
| 3 | India | 19 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 114 | 50.00% |
| 4 | New Zealand | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 81 | 48.21% |
| 5 | England | 22 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 114 | 43.18% |
Bowling Highlights
South Africa's bowling unit played a key role in pegging Australia back to 207 in their second innings, as Kagiso Rabada came up with a match-defining performance, including an important five-wicket haul.
Mitchell Starc led the way for Australia with a fighting 58, but the bowlers of South Africa kept the pressure all along.
Significance of the Win
This win not only awarded South Africa the WTC mace but also put an end to their ICC trophy drought since 1998 when they won the ICC Knockout Trophy.
The win is a historic one as it is the first ICC World Test Championship title for South Africa, and it came against a powerful Australian team that had led the league table throughout the championship cycle.
The championship amount given was USD 3.6 million to South Africa and USD 2.16 million for Australia as runner-up.
The 2023–2025 ICC World Test Championship saw nine teams play in 69 matches over 27 series.
South Africa was atop the points table after the league stage with a stellar record of 8 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses from 12 matches, bagging 69.44% of points fought for. Australia ranked second on 67.54% points from 19 matches, and the final battle was arranged at Lord's.
The squad of South Africa was led by Temba Bavuma and featured prominent players such as Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Kyle Verreynne, and David Bedingham. Australia was under the leadership of Pat Cummins with prominent players including Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, and Cameron Green.
