South Africa created history by defeating the mighty Australian side by five wickets to win the World Test Championship title at Lord’s on Saturday, June 14. The win saw many former cricketers react and congratulate the Proteas in what was their first major honour in 27 years.
AB de Villiers, the legendary former South African cricketer, was present in the stands and witnessed the moment his side reached the milestone. He was present along with his kids and paid a heartfelt tribute on social media, congratulating the side.
“Congratulations @ProteasMenCSA, Fantastic win and so well played! Hats off to Markram for that match-winning century, and Temba for leading with such ice and fire all through. What an incredible experience of watching this beautiful format of the game! The built-up drama, the slow anticipation, and the sweet victory to end it all were moments to savour.. and to experience that with my two boys, thrilled and on their toes — couldn’t have imagined it better than this. Go Proteas!” he said.
The Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, put up a post to congratulate South Africa on their glorious achievement. He said,” Test cricket continues to weave its magic. In a final where every session had its own story, @ProteasMenCSA found calm in the storm. Markram’s composure and Bavuma’s grit under pressure stood tall in the fourth innings. A century that will be remembered, a partnership that turned hope into history,” he wrote.
The former Sri Lankan batting great, Kumar Sangakkara, had two posts on X, which were about how the Proteas side managed to outclass the Australian unit across all facets of the game. He highlighted how performances like these are needed to go all the way to the big title.
“Bosh and Boom! What a win for @ProteasMenCSA, they have out-skilled and out-wanted the Australians. tremendously led by Temba Bavuma. They’re a team that shows how powerful purpose, passion and belief are in shaping the path to a trophy. A glorious day for South Africa,” Sangakkara said.
Dale Steyn had been posting a series of tweets on X but had a short but sweet message once South Africa reached the promised land.
The former Indian cricketer-turned-pundit, Sanjay Manjrekar, also took to social media to congratulate the Proteas on their historic achievement.
“So so so happy for South Africa! The gravity of this win for them, especially in a final innings run chase wow!” he shared.
Even the former cricketer, Aakash Chopra, put up a post hailing the leadership by Temba Bavuma and celebrated their achievement with a cheeky post.
“Lord Bavuma! It’s time for Africa,” he commented.
The former South African cricketer, Herschelle Gibbs had a mellow reaction to his side’s historic win. He congratulated the team for their achievement and hope they enjoy their celebration.
“Well done @ProteasMenCSA.. everything went right from the toss already .. enjoy the celebrations,” he wrote.
Kevin Pietersen also hailed the efforts of the Proteas side and posted a short and sweet post on social media.
Yuvraj Singh also put out a heartfelt post congratulating the South African team on their achievement and also put in a cheeky dig on the Australian side who tasted defeat after a long time.
“The class of 2025 ends a 27-year wait and lifts the ICC World Test Championship Trophy in style! Huge congrats to the
@ProteasMenCSA on a historic win at Lord’s. I’ve always believed there’s no greater measure of resilience and character than Test cricket and South Africa rose to the occasion! #AidenMarkram’s century was pure class. @KagisoRabada25, @marcojansen2000 and @NgidiLungi brought relentless intensity and #TembaBavuma led with calm and courage. A final worthy of the format. Tough luck #Australia! You know It’s okay to let go of one trophy,” Yuvraj wrote.
South Africa finally broke the deadlock and secured their first major honour in 27 years. Several stars like Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and, of course, the skipper, Temba Bavuma, will be remembered for the ages where they defied the unthinkable to go on and topple the mighty Australian side who have an impressive track record in the big games. Now it remains to be seen if this will be the spark that lights up a cricketing wave in the country.
