South Africa ignore Australia’s ‘choke’ sledges at Lord’s to win ICC World Test Championship final

When Bavuma walked into the post-match news conference and carefully placed the glittering mace – the prize awarded to the WTC winners – down on the table in front of him, the significance of the moment was not lost.

It is more than three decades since South Africa’s cricketers were readmitted to the international fold following the sporting boycotts established by the Gleneagles Agreement.

Bavuma is South Africa’s first black African batter, first black African to score a Test century, as well as the country’s first black African captain.

He is now the first South African to win a major ICC trophy, and follows in the footsteps of Siya Kolisi, South Africa’s black double World Cup-winning rugby union captain, in breaking barriers.

Bavuma spoke in depth in an interview with BBC Sport before the WTC about South Africa’s post-apartheid era of sporting transformation.

He is a humble and quietly spoken leader in the dressing room, dovetailing with the subtle acumen of head coach Shukri Conrad.

In many ways Bavuma embodies a group of South African players who might lack some of the stardust of previous teams but showed here they have character, depth and unity.

With a beaming smile in the aftermath of this victory at Lord’s, the joy on Bavuma’s face was clear.

“It’s a chance for South Africa to be united. We’ve got a cause where we can put aside our differences and enjoy it,” Bavuma added.

“We are unique in a lot of ways, our present and future is shaped by our past. It is a chance for us to rejoice in something, forget our issues and come together.”

South Africa may be World Test champions but have no home men’s matches in the longer format scheduled for 2025-26.

Markram said its primacy in the country should never be questioned.

“It’s always been my most important and most favourite format. Naturally, playing fewer games is not really on us, it’s just sort of the cards you get dealt,” he said.

“But it’s really important, in my opinion, to keep Test cricket as the number one in South Africa.”