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Updated 14 June 2025 at 18:14 IST

Temba Bavuma Becomes First Captain To Register Unique Record After 104 Years As He Guides South Africa To Victory In WTC 2025 Finals

WTC 2025 Final: South Africa defeated Australia by 5 wickets in the summit clash of the World Test Championship. Temba Bavuma became the first South African captain to win the WTC Mace

Reported by: Jishu Bhattacharya
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Temba Bavuma lifts the WTC mace
Temba Bavuma lifts the WTC mace | Image: AP

WTC 2025 Final: 9,721 days - this is exactly how much time it took for the South African team to get rid of their ICC Trophy jinx. Eight consecutive wins on the bounce, and a change of captain mid-cycle - South Africa's journey has been nothing but magnificent. Beating Pat Cummins's Australia in a final is a small deal, but Bavuma and his South African side have done it on the grandest stage of them all.

Temba Bavuma Shatters 104-Year-Old Captaincy Record

Temba Bavuma will always be remembered as the captain who led his team from the front on the biggest stage of them all. The Proteas skipper struggled with a hamstring pull in the final, but he continued to bat his way through and scored a gritty 66. In the process, Bavuma also registered a partnership of 147 runs along with Aiden Markram, which helped South Africa chase Australia's 282 runs down.

Bavuma has surpassed Warwick Armstrong of Australia and has registered a record of most wins as captain without a loss in Test cricket. Bavuma has captained South Africa in 10 Test matches, and he has won 9 out of them.

ALSO READ | South Africa's ICC Trophy Drought Ends After 9721 Days, Proteas Grind Australia By 5 Wickets In The 'Mecca Of Cricket' To Clinch WTC 2025 Final

Most Wins As Test Skipper Without a Loss

  • Temba Bavuma (South Africa): 9 wins, 1 draw (2023-2025)
  • Warwick Armstrong (Australia): 8 wins, 2 draws (1902-1921)
  • Brian Close (England): 6 wins, 1 draw (1949-1976)
  • Charles Fry (England): 4 wins, 2 draws (1896-1912)
  • Ajinkya Rahane (India): 4 wins, 2 draws (2017-2021)
  • Victor Richardson (Australia): 4 wins, 1 draw (1924-1936)
  • Ali Bacher (South Africa): 4 wins, 0 draws (1965-1970)

ALSO READ | Captain Temba Bavuma Gets Emotional As South Africa End ICC Title Drought After Beating Australia In WTC 2025 Final

South Africa Humble Australia

Australia vs South Africa - it was always going to be a battle between two fantastic bowling attacks, and the match played out exactly in the same way. Bavuma's decision to bowl first after winning the toss was criticized by many, but it ended up being a game-changer, as South Africa chased down 282 runs with ease against an Australian attack that had the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins.

ALSO READ | Temba Bavuma Sheds 'Quota Captain' Tag With Historic Victory For Success-starved South Africa

Published 14 June 2025 at 18:14 IST