​Deserving winners: on South Africa’s win at Lord’s  

It was a long wait that culminated in delight. Until Saturday’s high at Lord’s, South Africa was often resigned to playing second fiddle in the big cricketing contests. The Proteas always had strong units and some great players, but a stumble in the climactic stages of ICC events became the norm. Finally, when Temba Bavuma’s men prevailed over defending champion Australia in the World Test Championship’s summit clash in London, many ghosts were laid to rest. South Africa’s previous ICC silverware was the title in the Wills International Cup at Dhaka in 1998. That tournament became the precursor to the Champions Trophy and even as this particular event grew, South Africa regressed with comical run-outs, dropped catches and miscalculation of rain-rules often becoming steep hurdles. To concede a first innings lead and then to chase 282 in a grim fourth innings pursuit was never easy, but a dogged Bavuma and centurion Aiden Markram ensured that the early strikes of spearhead Kagiso Rabada were never wasted. The trio performed admirably and it was also a reflection of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute South Africa, often called the Rainbow Nation. This fact and the need for unity was reiterated through Bavuma’s impassioned post-match speech. The skipper truly led from the front.

Cricket needed this result as whispers of the ‘Big Three’ of India, Australia and England, calling the shots and elbowing out other opposition in the overall scheduling have been doing the rounds. Besides applying salve to a country searching for cricketing glory, the South African triumph also revealed that other teams can acquire the champions’ halo. To get past Pat Cummins and his men is always tough but Bavuma and his troops held firm in an engrossing Test. Australia has a potent attack that never allows batters to settle, and to counter this and emerge on top is a tribute to an outfit that was acutely conscious about past failures. Even last year, Markram’s men slipped in the ICC T20 World Cup final against India. From being tagged as chokers and to then become the number one Test squad is a stupendous achievement. South Africa never had it easy in cricket as its previous apartheid policy rightly left it isolated from sport. The comeback was gradual from the 1990s and then the match-fixing crisis that consumed Hansie Cronje, was a mighty blow. To put all these setbacks and losses behind them needed a special effort and it was this that Bavuma and his men provided at cricket’s spiritual home.