The whole world celebrated when South Africa secured the podium finish at Lord’s with a historic victory over Australia, and they were crowned as WTC Final 2025 winners on Saturday. With this incredible feat, the Rainbow Nation ended its 27-year ICC Trophy drought. They previously won the title in 1998, beating the West Indies in the ICC Knockout final. Temba Bavuma becomes the first South African test captain to lift the ICC Test mace.
An enthralling contest. A phenomenal triumph. A fitting finale to the Ultimate Test 🏏🔥
🇿🇦 The Proteas chased down 282 to seal a 5-wicket victory over Australia at Lord’s and were crowned ICC World Test Champions 🏆🙌.#WTCFinal #WozaNawe #ProteasWTCFinal pic.twitter.com/zfAJBVS6Zz
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 14, 2025
It’s an incredible turnaround for the side, which was not even in contention a year back. Following the success at the home of cricket, Temba Bavuma’s captaincy record is in the spotlight. He remains unbeaten as a skipper with 9 wins and a draw in 10 Test matches so far. Let’s discuss in detail how Temba Bavuma completely revolutionized the South African Test side to lift their maiden WTC title.
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Temba Bavuma Guides South Africa to a Historic WTC Title
Temba Bavuma becomes the first South Africa Test captain to have the ICC Title to his name. His captaincy stint began when South Africa were in complete crisis in the longest format. They had marginally fallen short of making it to the WTC 2021-23 final, finishing 3rd in the standings with a PCT of 55.56. He’s appointed as the skipper during the home two-match Test series against West Indies in March 2023. He took over the reins from Dean Elgar and made an instant impact with a 2-0 triumph.
Years of heartbreak for South Africa, healed by Temba Bavuma’s glorious triumph ♥️
More on their #WTC25 celebrations 👉 https://t.co/f48ND8QGLP pic.twitter.com/QpzIu2q6hA
— ICC (@ICC) June 17, 2025
South Africa regularly featured in Tests from August 2024, winning 8 of their 9 matches, including the WTC 2025 final. Temba Bavuma’s captaincy record has been the main highlight in their success, he holds a 7-0 win-loss record alone in this cycle. He hasn’t left behind in his performance, as he hammered 711 runs in 8 matches in the WTC 2023-25.
Temba Bavuma’s Captaincy Record
Fans weren’t aware before the start of the WTC 2025 final that Temba Bavuma hadn’t lost a Test as a skipper. When South Africa made history at the iconic Lord’s, beating Australia in the epic final, his unbeaten record got noticed, and he became an overnight social media sensation.
A feeling like no other ❤️🏆#WTC25 #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/wdUnfL9K6k
— ICC (@ICC) June 14, 2025
Since his appointment as a full-fledged skipper, he has made an impact on Proteas cricket. He becomes the first captain to remain unbeaten in his first 10 Test matches, breaking the previous record held by Percy Chapman, who had won 9 and lost a match. Let’s delve into Temba Bavuma’s captaincy record in Test, ODI and T20Is.
The #WTC25 Final victory is just the beginning of more trophies to come, feels Temba Bavuma 👊
More ➡️ https://t.co/v51qUnGumR pic.twitter.com/Ekw9GlwMSi
— ICC (@ICC) June 15, 2025
Temba Bavuma’s Captaincy Record in Tests
Bavuma deserves loads of appreciation for guiding South Africa to a memorable feat. The WTC final 2025 winner took over the Test captaincy in early 2023, and his efforts to make South Africa the No.1 Test nation are truly remarkable. He has led Proteas in 10 Test matches to date and has 9 wins and a draw to his name.
| Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Tied | Win% |
| 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 90 |
Temba Bavuma’s Captaincy Record in ODIs
The diminutive cricketer has led South Africa to two ICC Semi-finals, one in the ICC Cricket World Cup held in the sub-continent in 2023 and the second one during the recent ICC Champions Trophy, which was jointly hosted by Pakistan and the UAE this year. Overall, he has captained the side in 42 ODIs, winning 22 and losing 19. His win percentage as an ODI skipper stands at 53.65.
| Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Tied | NR | Win% |
| 42 | 22 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 53.65 |
Temba Bavuma’s Captaincy Record in T20Is
He led South Africa between 2021 and 2022 in 25 T20Is. During his short tenure, the side won 15 matches and lost 9. He sits 3rd on the list of most T20I wins by a South African skipper.
| Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Tied | NR | Win% |
| 25 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 62.50 |
Overcoming Racial Discrimination
Racism is not new in sports, not only in cricket many sports, including football, Tennis, and Athletics, have gone through it. Temba Bavuma’s journey hasn’t been a smooth sailing at the International level as he often suffered with racism, bullying, criticism for his height, and constant doubts about his place in the South African side since he made his debut back in 2014.
Finding a place in an era filled with notable superstars itself is a huge achievement, but Bavuma made it happen with his talent and grit. He was in and out of the Test side on many occasions, but with his true resilience, he was able to hold his place in the long run. In 64 Test matches, he has gathered 3708 runs at an average of 38.22, which comprises 4 centuries and 25 half-centuries.
His record in the WTC 2023-25 speaks volumes about his talent, where he hammered more than 700 runs. He silenced the critics by guiding the Proteas to their maiden World Test Championship at the home of cricket last week and became the first-ever South Africa Test captain to achieve the feat.
Heroes of South Africa’s #WTC25 triumph with their hands on the mace in the Lord’s Long Room 📸 pic.twitter.com/wUvlgA9gHu
— ICC (@ICC) June 18, 2025
What WTC Victory Means for South Africa？
Chokers is a tag often associated with South Africa in international cricket, as they have repeatedly been beaten in the knockouts of ICC events on many occasions. They had lost 11 Semi-finals, 2 Quarter-finals and a final in all ICC events, including the Men’s Cricket World Cup, Men’s T20 World Cup, and the Men’s Champions Trophy. To end the title drought after 27 years feels special for the players, who lifted the World Test Championship mace for the first time, beating defending champions Australia at Lord’s. Their victory was celebrated all over the world and the fans went wild on social media, posting their support for the African nation.
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 🏆🇿🇦
South Africa take home the 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐞 👏#WTC25 #SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/Yy4C4AQEO7
— ICC (@ICC) June 14, 2025
South Africa was crowned as WTC final 2025 winner, with his triumph, Temba Bavuma’s captaincy record in Test is still unbeaten with 9 wins and a draw in 10 matches. He becomes the first South Africa Test captain to achieve this feat. Congratulations, Proteas Men!
