Former captain and chief of their cricket board Dr Ali Bacher has hailed South Africa’s five-wicket victory in the World Test Championship final on Saturday as one of the “greatest” in their history.

“In my opinion, this is one of the greatest Test wins in the history of the game in South Africa. The reasons are very simple. We played and won at Lord’s. We don’t have much opportunity to play at Lord’s and Australia were the all-time favourites. Very few people gave South Africa a chance. But they rose to the occasion and they brought happiness to the country,” Bacher told The Telegraph shortly after Temba Bavuma’s men ended South Africa’s 27-year drought in ICC trophies.

Bacher, 83, played a key role in South Africa’s readmission to international cricket in 1991 after a period of isolation due to apartheid. The WTC champions will not be playing any home Tests until the 2026-27 season in the current cycle and Bacher doesn’t approve such discrimination.

“Look, at the moment, if you look at the schedule for the next 2-3 years, it’s heavily dominated by England, India and Australia playing each other. The authorities need to review it and have a look because South Africa do not have a Test match of note at home in the next 12 months. This can’t be right. We need to spread the game,” he said.

Bavuma’s dynamic leadership has impressed Bacher. “Bavuma has become a very successful international Test captain. He has really changed the face of South
African cricket to his credit. He’s short in stature, but he’s got a big heart,” the former captain said.

“The best thing about his batting is that he’s a very correct batsman. He’s always hitting the ball with a full face. And obviously, he’s brought together a team that supports him day and night. They’ve shown great spirit and camaraderie. We saw the end result in their success today.”

He also wished to highlight head coach Shukri Conrad’s contribution. “He is low-key and maintains a low profile. But obviously he has made an impact. They respect him. So that is great. You don’t want a coach or manager who is high profile,” Bacher said.

South Africa have won the Rugby World Cup four times and this triumph will have a similar effect on the people.

“It’s a credit to our country that we won the Rugby World Cup. We have now won the WTC. We’re a country that’s had its political problems. But the people have come together, particularly in sport.

“And remember the late Dr Nelson Mandela. In the early 90s, he said the factor that will bring our people together is sport. And he was right. And you’ll see it today, where black and white South Africans will express their exhilaration, their gratitude, and their appreciation of our winning goals.”