Since Hansie Cronje, no South African captain has won an ICC tournament at the senior level until Temba Bavuma. The Proteas endured many hardships and heartaches before defeating Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s to end their 27-year drought.
The South Africans had earned the dreaded nickname “chokers” due to their repeated failures on the big stage. During the WTC 2025 Final, captain Temba Bavuma shockingly said that he could hear the phrase “choke” coming from Australia after they defeated them.
The South African captain talked about how many people had doubts about them and their chances of making it to the final. He asserted that South Africa’s victory in the WTC Final was the ideal example of how togetherness triumphed over all other factors.
“We heard the Australians use the dreaded word “choke” while we were batting. There were many sceptics and many believers when we arrived. There were others who questioned the path we took, yet we managed to make it to the final. That is smashed by this victory. During the post-match conference, Temba Bavuma stated, “This is a chance for us as a country, despite our differences, to come together.”
Every query that was previously posed has now been addressed: Temba Bavuma
According to Temba Bavuma, the triumph presents a chance for South Africa to unite as a country and put aside its divisions and disagreements. “It would be wonderful to avoid the term ‘chokers’ being used in relation to them,” he continued.
It’s an opportunity for us as a nation to celebrate something, put aside our differences, and truly unite. I hope it motivates and keeps motivating our nation. There were many sceptics about this set of players, but our style of play would have dispelled them all,” Temba Bavuma continued. “It will be wonderful to avoid hearing that again. For this crew, finishing the task and getting rid of it is really important. Now, every query that was previously raised has been addressed.
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