LONDON: Temba Bavuma hopes leading the Proteas Men’s Team to a historic World Test Championship title at Lord’s on Saturday will elevate him to be “recognised more than just a Black African cricketer” and that the success “inspires our country”.
The Proteas defeated Australia by five wickets on the fourth morning of a pulsating WTC final to earn South Africa’s first victory in a major ICC final in 27 years.
Bavuma played a major hand in the Proteas’ success, scoring 66 in the second innings, which formed part of a match-winning 147-run stand with centurion Aiden Markram (136). The skipper has also not lost a Test in 10 matches as captain and averages 57 with the bat when he’s walked out to spin the coin, and is now seemingly adored by both his team and fans, particularly those who sung “Oh Temba Bavuma” with gusto for the last couple of days in St John’s Wood.
The Proteas are chokers no more!
They are your World Test Champions!@ @IOLsport #savaus #WTCFinal pic.twitter.com/7yuiI6BzDN
— Zaahier Adams (@ZaahierAdams) June 14, 2025
But this adoration has not always been the case with Bavuma having experienced plenty of abuse, often of a personal nature, over the last few years, which was primarily associated with the Proteas’ failures in white-ball competitions.
“It hasn’t been easy. It’s not easy being captain of South Africa. And, you know, all the, I guess all the sacrifices, all the disappointment at that moment really feels, it feels worth it, you know, when you’re going through it all, you know, giving up is always an option,” Bavuma said.
“It’s always there. It’s always there at the back of your mind, but something kind of holds you on. And I think for me, it was, it was that moment there to be recognised as more than just a Black African cricketer, but to be seen as someone who’s done something that the country has wanted.
“So, I think that’s something that I’ll definitely walk around with my chest out. Yeah, I’d like to think I would have won (over) a couple of doubters if I could say.
“Like, like I said, it’s not an easy job being captain of South Africa. It’s not all smooth being in my shoes, if I could say.
“Yeah, it takes a little bit of crazy at times to kind of deal with everything that it comes with, but I think it’s also a matter of just taking it within, within your stride.
Father’s Day came early for Temba Bavuma 🥹🫶#SAvAUS #WTC25 pic.twitter.com/5hy5LBEUIN
— ICC (@ICC) June 14, 2025
“You know, it can be burdensome, but it’s still somewhat of a privilege to kind of carry those types of expectations as well as pressure.”
Taking a leaf from his good friend and Springbok Rugby World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi’s book, Bavuma hoped that the Proteas’ history-making success inspires the entire nation back home.
“The word that comes to mind is special. Special for this group. Special for myself, for the country,” he said.
“I think, I mean, I’m not a big rugby fan, but I watch the rugby guys, and I think the biggest thing I admire about them is with their success, how they’ve kind of gone about and embraced what being South African actually means.
“South Africa, we’re unique in a lot of ways. Our present and future is shaped by our past.
And I think the way that they’ve gone about it to capture the hearts of everyone, has really made us love them.
“And I think us within cricket, that’s something that we’ve spoken about, to really do something special. So, I mean, that word special, I keep using it.
“I think for the country, it’s a chance for us to rejoice in something, for us to kind of forget about our issues and really come together. And I think for the group of players, I mean, there were a lot of doubters as to the route that we took to get to this point.
“I do think the way that we played would have wiped all of that out. And again, I can hope that it inspires, it continues to inspire our, our country.”
