Eleven years ago, a young Aiden Markram lifted the ICC U-19 World Cup trophy in the UAE, leading a South African team that included a teenage Kagiso Rabada.
On Saturday, at the hallowed ground of Lord’s Cricket Ground, Markram and Rabada orchestrated a repeat — this time on the biggest stage in senior men’s cricket. Their brilliance helped South Africa win its first ICC title in 27 years, defeating Australia in the final of the World Test Championship.
Wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne scored the winning runs.
The Proteas, long burdened by the tag of chokers, finally broke the curse — and it was the duo from the class of 2014 who led the charge.
Rabada finished with nine wickets in the match — five in the first innings, four in the second — dismantling Australia’s batting order with pace and precision.
Markram, after a duck in the first innings, scored a second-innings century that anchored South Africa’s chase. Markram was dismissed for 136, getting the Proteas within 6 runs of the win.
It was a performance that echoed their U-19 campaign — Markram’s leadership and class with the bat, Rabada’s game-breaking spells.
The last time the Proteas won an ICC title in senior men’s cricket was in 1998, when Hansie Cronje’s team beat West Indies in the final of the inaugural ICC Knockout Trophy in Dhaka.
Captain Temba Bavuma, battling a hamstring injury, channelled his inner Graeme Smith — who famously batted with a broken hand in 2009 — to score 66 in the second innings and stitch a 147-run stand with Markram.
South Africa’s first innings had shaky moments, but crucial contributions came from David Bedingham (45) and Bavuma (36). Rabada’s five-for was well supported by Marco Jansen’s three wickets and Markram’s golden arm — he dismissed Steve Smith, Australia’s most prolific overseas batter at Lord’s.
In the second innings, Lungi Ngidi grabbed three key wickets, while Wiaan Mulder, Jansen, and Markram chipped in with one apiece to close out Australia’s resistance.
For the Aussies, Pat Cummins’ six-wicket haul and fighting knocks from Steve Smith (66) and Beau Webster (72) weren’t enough. For Josh Hazlewood, this marked his first-ever loss in a major final.
But the heart of the story belongs to Rabada and Markram — boys who became men, teammates who became heroes and dreamers who delivered. Their victory is more than a statistic or a trophy. It’s a fulfilment of a childhood vision and a moment of catharsis for South African cricket.