 "Pacer Kagiso Rabada holds the ICC Test Mace aloft as he celebrates South Africa's triumph in the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's with teammates. Reuters")
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is facing criticism from journalists and fans for its latest video celebrating South Africa’s World Test Championship (WTC) Final victory against Australia at Lord’s.
South Africa defeated Australia by five wickets in the WTC 2025 Final to win their first world trophy in cricket. This was also their second ever ICC title after the ICC Knockout win in 1998.
A 282-run target was the ask from the Proteas to chase down and end their decades-long title hunt. Aiden Markram didn’t put a foot wrong and cleared South Africa’s route that led to the WTC mace with a swashbuckling 136(207).
The Temba Bavuma-led troops gunned down the 282-run ask from the Baggy Greens, pulling off their fifth-highest chase in Test cricket, with four of those five wins being against Australia. Notably, it is also the second-highest chase at Lord’s.
South Africa extended its winning streak to eight with another success story, which began against the West Indies last August. This is the second-highest win streak for the Proteas in the format, behind nine successive wins, which they achieved back in 2002-03.
The eight-match win streak is the highest in the World Test Championship history, bettering India and New Zealand, who won seven consecutive fixtures each during the inaugural cycle. Bavuma continued to flaunt his flawless record as South Africa’s Test captain, winning nine and securing one draw.
Only England’s Percy Chapman (9) has had as many wins as Bavuma in the first 10 fixtures as Test captain. Markram’s 136 marked his third ton in the fourth innings, and only former captain Graeme Smith (4) had more for the Proteas in the fourth innings.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsCelebrating the victory, ICC uploaded a 45-second video on Monday on X recapping South Africa’s first world title win, but it has been criticised by a few.
Journalists and fans criticised the ICC for focussing on chairman Jay Shah more than highlighting the memorable moments from a historic match.
“Beyond weird,” a journalist remarked while sharing the video.
“Who said India didn’t play the final?” a fan asked.
With agency inputs