When Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs off Mitchell Starc to win South Africa the World Test Championship, the camera immediately panned to former and current Proteas cricketers at Lord’s. On the balcony, Temba Bavuma buried his face, possibly to hide some tears, whereas a few moments later, Keshav Maharaj’s emotional interview with Graeme Smith aptly summed up emotions. Smith had already left the commentary to go be near the boundary ropes to catch a glimpse of the moment himself, while Shaun Pollock was in the box when the winning runs were hit. Another former captain, the one and only AB de Villiers, was in the stands to soak in every bit of it. After the victory was sealed, even the legendary Dale Steyn couldn’t hold back tears. And how could he? Together and individually, the four of them had experienced countless heartbreaks, and it was only fitting that they were there to witness history.
Still, the one individual every South African fan wanted to see in attendance was the one who possibly endured the mother of all heartaches. Allan Donald. He was part of the South African 1992 World Cup squad that fell victim to the Duckworth-Lewis, and again seven years later in Edgbaston when South Africa snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Yes, with one run needed of two balls, Lance Klusener took off, but Donald didn’t. And by the time he did, it was too late. Donald was run out and Australia, despite a tie, sneaked into the final of the World Cup. The scars of Edgbaston may never heal entirely, but what Temba Bavuma and his troops accomplished on Saturday has gone a long way in relieving some of that pain.
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“It’s a massive, massive day in South African cricket, it’s a massive day in South African sport. It’s something that unites this country so closely. To get that over the line shuts the door that’s over 30-odd years old. Or maybe I’ve jumped the years a little bit, but it’s something that’s taken a lot of pain away as you know. Not really going to go into that detail (laughs), but you know what I’m talking about with us and ICC events. This team, this group have shown, in the Test Championship, in the cycle, that they’ve had to win eight Test matches in a row… just showed immense character, immense character,” Donald said on CricBlog.
Allan Donald expects floodgates to open
South Africa had been on the cruel end of fate more than any other team in cricket. A record 12 defeats in the knockout stages of an ICC tournament. Before Saturday, they had last won a men’s ICC title way back in 1998 – 27 years ago, when the world was a different place altogether. Nonetheless, now that the jinx is over, with the Proteas finally laying to rest the dreaded ‘C’ word, Donald expects more ICC trophies, including the World Cup at home in 2027.
“But this team has shown… they’ve broken this deadlock now. I think this will… and hopefully open the door for more success. I already look forward to the 2027 (ODI) World Cup, I think it’s going to be a really interesting one. This group will be together. The white-ball group. A lot of those players who played today will be involved in that World Cup,” he said.
“I think today… for the team it will take some time to sink in. It really is a day for the past players who were involved in the ’99 World Cup and the guys who followed them, will know how close it was to be in the final, but I think we can safely say now that gate is now shut.”
