South African cricket witnessed a historic day on Saturday (June 14) after they ended their trophy drought in a senior ICC men’s tournament as they beat Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Playing at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, the Proteas beat Australia by five wickets and thereby ended a 27-year wait for a senior men’s ICC trophy. One of the star players of the contest was Aiden Markram, who played a crucial 136-run knock in the second innings for the Proteas while skipper Temba Bavuma also had his part to play with a 66-run knock.&nbsp;&nbsp;After the match, former England captain, Kevin Pietersen hailed Markram for his impact, stating it as the best innings by a South African batter. It was Markram and Bavuma’s 147-run stand for the third wicket that propelled South Africa to a famous win on Saturday.&nbsp;<h2>Pietersen hails Markram</h2>"Probably the best innings any South African batter has ever played in Test match cricket. It might not go down as the most attacking or entertaining if you look back at South Africa’s Test history.”&nbsp;“But when you factor in the expectation, the stage, and the pressure after failing in the first innings, it was extraordinary. Whether you're a batter or a bowler, when your country is counting on you and you have to deliver — that pressure is immense," said Pietersen after South Africa won the WTC final.&nbsp;&nbsp;Having been narrowed to 138 in the first innings, and conceding a lead of 74 runs, it was the Proteas who were on the back foot. However, Markram who was dismissed for a duck in the first innings came in handy in the decisive stage as he scored 136 to take his team home.&nbsp;&nbsp;South Africa became just the fourth team to beat Australia in a major ICC men’s final joining the likes of West Indies (1975 ODI World Cup final), Sri Lanka (1996 ODI World Cup final) and England (2010 T20 World Cup final).

One of the star players of the WTC final was Aiden Markram, who played a crucial 136-run knock in the second innings for the Proteas while skipper Temba Bavuma also had his part to play with a 66-run knock. 

South African cricket witnessed a historic day on Saturday (June 14) after they ended their trophy drought in a senior ICC men’s tournament as they beat Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Playing at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, the Proteas beat Australia by five wickets and thereby ended a 27-year wait for a senior men’s ICC trophy. One of the star players of the contest was Aiden Markram, who played a crucial 136-run knock in the second innings for the Proteas while skipper Temba Bavuma also had his part to play with a 66-run knock. After the match, former England captain, Kevin Pietersen hailed Markram for his impact, stating it as the best innings by a South African batter. It was Markram and Bavuma’s 147-run stand for the third wicket that propelled South Africa to a famous win on Saturday. Pietersen hails Markram "Probably the best innings any South African batter has ever played in Test match cricket. It might not go down as the most attacking or entertaining if you look back at South Africa’s Test history.” “But when you factor in the expectation, the stage, and the pressure after failing in the first innings, it was extraordinary. Whether you're a batter or a bowler, when your country is counting on you and you have to deliver — that pressure is immense," said Pietersen after South Africa won the WTC final. Having been narrowed to 138 in the first innings, and conceding a lead of 74 runs, it was the Proteas who were on the back foot. However, Markram who was dismissed for a duck in the first innings came in handy in the decisive stage as he scored 136 to take his team home. South Africa became just the fourth team to beat Australia in a major ICC men’s final joining the likes of West Indies (1975 ODI World Cup final), Sri Lanka (1996 ODI World Cup final) and England (2010 T20 World Cup final).

One of the star players of the WTC final was Aiden Markram, who played a crucial 136-run knock in the second innings for the Proteas while skipper Temba Bavuma also had his part to play with a 66-run knock.&nbsp;

Kevin Pietersen hails Aiden Markram after WTC title-winning knock, says 'best innings by a South African batter'

June 12, 2025 will always be a special day for Australia’s Test captain <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/pat-cummins">Pat Cummins</a>. During ongoing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/wtc-final">ICC World Test Championship</a> (WTC) Final between Australia and South Africa at<a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/lords-stadium"> Lord's stadium</a> in London, Cummins produced a magical bowling performance and broke three major records.&nbsp;Let's glance at the three records that Cummins broke on day 2 (June 12) of WTC Final against South Africa:&nbsp;Record 1: Best Bowling Figures in a WTC FinalCummins finished with stunning figures of 6 wickets for just 28 runs, the best-ever bowling performance in a World Test Championship Final. He bowled with precision and pace, constantly troubling the South African batters.&nbsp;Record 2: Most Fifers as Test Captain for AustraliaWith this six-wicket haul, Cummins now has nine five-wicket hauls as a captain in Test cricket. He equalled legendary Australian skipper Richie Benaud, who has as many fifers as Cummins. Only the 1992 World Cup-winning captain for Pakistan, Imran Khan, has more fifers (11) than Cummins.&nbsp;Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wtc-final-video-labuschagne-takes-screamer-at-covers-to-dismiss-bavuma-1749732892282">WTC Final | SA vs AUS: Labuschagne takes screamer at covers to dismiss Bavuma - WATCH</a>&nbsp;Record 3: Most Fifers in the Current WTC CycleCummins also became the bowler with the most five-wicket hauls (6) in the current World Test Championship cycle, further proving his consistency and impact for Australia across matches.&nbsp;Earlier, on Thursday (June 12) South Africa resumed their innings at 43/4 with captain Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham at the crease. The pair added 64 runs and looked to steady the innings. Just when it seemed like South Africa might take the game away from the defending champions, Marnus Labuschagne produced a moment of brilliance in the field to dismiss the Proteas skipper and break the partnership. From there, it was only Cummins vs South Africa at Lord's.&nbsp;Cummins' victims on the day included Bavuma, Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, and Kagiso Rabada. He picked five of the last six wickets to end South Africa’s hopes of a comeback.&nbsp;Former England captain Michael Vaughan praised Cummins for his exceptional performance. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), he said:“I don’t remember a time when the Aussies needed something from Cummins that he didn’t deliver.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I don’t remember a time when the Aussies needed something from Cummins that he didn’t deliver .. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WTCFinal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WTCFinal</a>&mdash; Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelVaughan/status/1933146032944095299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It was truly a memorable day for the Aussie skipper; with an exceptional spell, he broke three significant records and turned the game for Australia.

In the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's stadium in London, Cummins produced a magical bowling performance and broke three major records.

June 12, 2025 will always be a special day for Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins. During ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's stadium in London, Cummins produced a magical bowling performance and broke three major records. Let's glance at the three records that Cummins broke on day 2 (June 12) of WTC Final against South Africa: Record 1: Best Bowling Figures in a WTC Final Cummins finished with stunning figures of 6 wickets for just 28 runs, the best-ever bowling performance in a World Test Championship Final. He bowled with precision and pace, constantly troubling the South African batters. Record 2: Most Fifers as Test Captain for Australia With this six-wicket haul, Cummins now has nine five-wicket hauls as a captain in Test cricket. He equalled legendary Australian skipper Richie Benaud, who has as many fifers as Cummins. Only the 1992 World Cup-winning captain for Pakistan, Imran Khan, has more fifers (11) than Cummins. Also Read | WTC Final | SA vs AUS: Labuschagne takes screamer at covers to dismiss Bavuma - WATCH Record 3: Most Fifers in the Current WTC Cycle Cummins also became the bowler with the most five-wicket hauls (6) in the current World Test Championship cycle, further proving his consistency and impact for Australia across matches. Earlier, on Thursday (June 12) South Africa resumed their innings at 43/4 with captain Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham at the crease. The pair added 64 runs and looked to steady the innings. Just when it seemed like South Africa might take the game away from the defending champions, Marnus Labuschagne produced a moment of brilliance in the field to dismiss the Proteas skipper and break the partnership. From there, it was only Cummins vs South Africa at Lord's. Cummins' victims on the day included Bavuma, Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, and Kagiso Rabada. He picked five of the last six wickets to end South Africa’s hopes of a comeback. Former England captain Michael Vaughan praised Cummins for his exceptional performance. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), he said: “I don’t remember a time when the Aussies needed something from Cummins that he didn’t deliver.”

In the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's stadium in London, Cummins produced a magical bowling performance and broke three major records.

WTC Final 2025, SA vs AUS : Cummins breaks multiple records with five-wicket haul at Lord's

Steve Smith surpassed Warren Bardsley to become the most overseas run-getter at Lord's stadium in London. Let's have a look at the top five batters who let their bat do the talking at the Home of Cricket.

WTC Final 2025: Top 5 visiting batters with most runs at Lord’s. Smith tops the list; check others

Australia and South Africa will lock horns in a high-octane clash between Australia and South Africa at the iconic Lords stadium in London. Let us have a look at the five key battles to watch out for in the mace-winning clash.

SA vs AUS, WTC Final 2025: From Markram vs Cummins to Smith vs Rabada - 5 key battles to watch out at Lord's

Australia and South Africa will lock horns in the ICC WTC Final 2025 from Wednesday (June 11) at the iconic Lord's stadium in London. Let's have a glance at the six players to watch out for in the Mace-winning clash.

Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada and more: Six players to keep an eye on in WTC Final

South Africa and Australia are preparing to face off for the ICC World Test Championship final on Wednesday (June 11) at the iconic Lord's stadium in London. Australia aim to defend their WTC title, while South Africa will be keen to secure an ICC title after a 27-year drought.&nbsp;Australia, under the leadership of Pat Cummins, have been on an incredible run in the current cycle. Australia drew a hard-fought Ashes series in England, followed by a dominant 3-0 victory over Pakistan at home.&nbsp;They faced a slight setback when the West Indies managed to draw the series, but Australia quickly bounced back with impressive wins against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and a home series victory over India by 3-1.&nbsp;Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/wtc-final-icc-announces-rs-170000000-hike-in-winners-prize-money-runners-up-to-get-nearly-162-percent-more-9071534">WTC Final: ICC announces Rs 17,00,00,000 hike in winner's prize money, runners-up to get nearly 162 percent more</a>&nbsp;Meanwhile, South Africa have looked unstoppable in this World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. They currently sit on top of the standings, with seven consecutive Test match wins.&nbsp;As both teams are set to face off in the final, weather could disrupt the title clash, especially on day two, where rain is expected to interrupt the course of play.&nbsp;<h2>What happens if rain disrupts the WTC Final?</h2>&nbsp;The International Cricket Council (ICC) has allocated a reserve day (Day 6) for the final, just like in the previous editions (2021 and 2023).&nbsp;If rain or bad light causes significant delays and the match doesn't produce a result within five days, the reserve day will be used to make up for the lost time and overs.&nbsp;We saw this in the 2021 WTC final between India and New Zealand in Southampton, where the first and fourth-day play was washed out due to rains. The reserve day was crucial in completing the match, where New Zealand turned victorious.

As both teams are set to face off in the final, weather could disrupt the title clash, especially on day two, where rain is expected to interrupt the course of play.

South Africa and Australia are preparing to face off for the ICC World Test Championship final on Wednesday (June 11) at the iconic Lord's stadium in London. Australia aim to defend their WTC title, while South Africa will be keen to secure an ICC title after a 27-year drought. Australia, under the leadership of Pat Cummins, have been on an incredible run in the current cycle. Australia drew a hard-fought Ashes series in England, followed by a dominant 3-0 victory over Pakistan at home. They faced a slight setback when the West Indies managed to draw the series, but Australia quickly bounced back with impressive wins against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and a home series victory over India by 3-1. Also Read | WTC Final: ICC announces Rs 17,00,00,000 hike in winner's prize money, runners-up to get nearly 162 percent more Meanwhile, South Africa have looked unstoppable in this World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. They currently sit on top of the standings, with seven consecutive Test match wins. As both teams are set to face off in the final, weather could disrupt the title clash, especially on day two, where rain is expected to interrupt the course of play. What happens if rain disrupts the WTC Final? The International Cricket Council (ICC) has allocated a reserve day (Day 6) for the final, just like in the previous editions (2021 and 2023). If rain or bad light causes significant delays and the match doesn't produce a result within five days, the reserve day will be used to make up for the lost time and overs. We saw this in the 2021 WTC final between India and New Zealand in Southampton, where the first and fourth-day play was washed out due to rains. The reserve day was crucial in completing the match, where New Zealand turned victorious.

As both teams are set to face off in the final, weather could disrupt the title clash, especially on day two, where rain is expected to interrupt the course of play.

AUS vs SA, WTC 2025 Final: What happens if rain plays spoilsport at Lord's, is there a reserve day? - Check details