First Major ICC Trophy Since 1998 Champions Trophy
South Africa secured a long-awaited ICC title after defeating Australia by five wickets on the final day of a gripping contest. Chasing a modest target, the Proteas resumed day four needing just 69 runs with ample wickets in hand. Despite a few early hiccups, they held their nerve to seal the win and lift their first major ICC trophy in 26 years.
The morning session saw Australia fight back briefly—Mitchell Starc struck early, clean bowling Tristan Stubbs, while skipper Temba Bavuma was dismissed cheaply by Pat Cummins, causing a few jitters in the South African camp. However, calm heads prevailed as Aiden Markram guided the chase with composure and confidence scoring 136.
The win marks a moment of redemption for a South African side long burdened by the “chokers” tag in ICC knockout matches. Their previous global title came back in 1998 when they won the inaugural Champions Trophy (then known as the ICC KnockOut).
Celebrations erupted across South Africa as the Proteas ended decades of near-misses and heartbreaks, announcing their arrival as champions on the world stage once again.
The star players for South Africa this match were Aiden Markram ( 0 and 136 ), Bavuma ( 36 and 66 ), Kagiso Rabada who took 9 wickets in total, Marco Janses who took 4 and Ngidi who took 3 wickets.
Australia too did fight hard for the title with Webster scoring 72 in 1st innings, Steve Smith scoring 66 in 1st innings and Mitchell Starc scoring 58* in Australia’s 2nd. Patrick Cummins took 7 wickets in total and Mitchell Starc took 5. But these wonderful figures proved insufficient for Australia.
