Australia to lose ICC final after 15 years? South Africa with the right opportunity to end the ‘Choker’ tag
South Africa will be placed to test the WTC final on the day of 2023-25 to test their toughest 69 runs against Australia.
Australia’s aura of invincibility in ICC finals could finally be punctured. For the first time in 15 years, Pat Cummins’ men find themselves on the ropes in a tournament decider, with South Africa needing just 69 runs and eight wickets in hand to clinch the ICC World Test Championship title at Lord’s.
The stakes are monumental. Since their loss in the 2010 T20 World Cup final to England, Australia have triumphed in four ICC finals across formats — the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the inaugural WTC final in 2023. The current generation — Cummins, Starc, Smith — have built a legacy of winning when it matters most. But on a grey London evening, that dominance appears threatened.
Mitchell Starc’s gritty 58 and a last-wicket stand with Josh Hazlewood helped Australia set a target of 282. But the day belonged to the Proteas. After early nerves, South Africa’s pursuit has been anchored by a masterful Aiden Markram century and a resilient Temba Bavuma, batting through a hamstring injury to reach 65* by stumps on Day 3.
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