Johannesburg, June 18 (IANS) Fresh off winning the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC) Final, the South African team arrived home to a rousing welcome at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday.
South Africa sealed World Test Championship Final victory, ending a 27-year ICC trophy hoodoo, overcoming Australia by five wickets to lift the famous mace at the home of cricket, the Lord’s in London.
Captain Temba Bavuma and coach Shukri Conrad were the first to greet the enthusiastic supporters, proudly holding the mace awarded to them as champions.
One by one, each player followed, carrying a bouquet of flowers while warmly shaking hands, embracing fans, and signing autographs.
This victory against Australia at the Lord’s was particularly significant, marking the nation’s first senior ICC trophy in either men’s or women’s cricket since 1998, ending a long wait for the Proteas.
“Going into this game as underdogs and to be able to do what we have done for South Africa is really a proud moment,” Lungi Ngidi told Super Sports on his arrival.
“I don’t think the few of us could have grasped the magnitude of all we have achieved until we got to the airport today. You can actually see all the cheers are full…and people are really behind the team. This is incredibly special for the whole group,” added Ryan Rickleton.
The historic triumph came a year after Proteas fell agonisingly short with victory in sight in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup against India.
South Africa’s WTC win means they extended their run unbeaten to 10 Tests for Temba Bavuma in his start as Proteas captain. The nine wins in Test matches is a record in the game as well, with Bavuma sharing the honour with England’s Percy Chapman, who led his side in the late 1920s and 1930s.
On Monday, South Africa’s victorious WTC final squad returned to the scene of their famous triumph to descend on Lord’s for more celebrations. The players and support staff were in good spirits as they came together for one last look at Lord’s before they returned to South Africa.
–IANS
bc/bsk/
