Temba Bavuma reveals the ugly side of Aussie sledging in WTC final

After almost three decades (27 years) of heartbreaks and a series of heartbreaks in the knockout games of the major ICC tournaments, South Africa finally ended their curse with a historic ICC title win after clinching the World Test Championship 2023-25 trophy, defeating the mighty Aussies in the final by 5 wickets.

It was a historic day for the Temba Bavuma-led, less experienced Proteas group when David Bedingham hit the winning boundary for his side off Mitchell Starc in the 84th over of the fourth innings. Above all, the win was also historic for South African cricket as it came at the home of cricket, the iconic Lord’s Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma revealed and called out an ugly side of the typical Australian mindset and the sledging they faced from the Aussie players during the WTC 2023-25 final.

This win squashes that tag – Temba Bavuma

Bavuma spoke in detail about what Aussies kept saying about the South African team during the WTC final at the Lord’s.

“While we were batting we could hear the Aussies using that dreaded word: choke,” said Bavuma. “We came in with a lot of belief and a lot of doubters. We got ourselves into the final, there were doubters as to the route we took. This win squashes that. Here’s an opportunity for us as a nation, divided as we are, to unite,’ said Bavuma during the post-match press conference after SA defeated Australia by 5 wickets to lift the coveted title.

Furthermore, the Proteas skipper also spoke about the importance and impact of this win for South Africa back home in the country, where they are divided on a lot of issues.

“As a country, it’s a chance for us to rejoice in something, to forget about our issues and really come together. I hope it inspires and continues to inspire our country. For this group of players, there were a lot of doubters but the way we played would have wiped all of that out,” he said.