THE Proteas are hoping this is only the start of many more.

After ending a 27-year wait to win an International Cricket Council’s (ICC) final, the national men’s cricket team have only just started to build momentum towards a culture of winning.

The Proteas beat Australia by five wickets in the ICC Test Championship final at Lord’s in England on Saturday. This was the first senior men’s trophy since the 1998 ICC Knockout victory.

“We hope that this can be the start of a lot more of these trophies. As much as we have achieved what we achieved in the past 18 – 24 months, this is not a big legacy as of yet. We will speak again in two to three years. We want to start a culture of winning trophies for the country,” said Test Captain Temba Bavuma in Johannesburg at a media briefing today.

Supporters greeted the newly crowned champions of the world with jubilation when they arrived  at OR Tambo International Airport, on Wednesday morning (19 June). 

“Seeing so many people welcome us at the airport was quite overwhelming. It was different from the last time we came back from the world cup in 2023. You don’t really realise what you have done until you start to interact with people,” Bavuma said.

This was South Africa’s first-ever appearance in a World Test Championship Final, and their triumphant performance signalled a landmark achievement for the nation’s cricketing history. 

Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) head of national teams, Enoch Nkwe, said this victory will have a huge impact on generations to come.

He said this restores a lot of faith and belief in South African cricket. 

The Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad also expressed his joy at the warm reception the team received upon their arrival at the airport.

“I am absolutely ecstatic to see people come out in their hundreds. It makes this win even more special. We won a few days ago but it hasn’t sunk in. To get a reception like this… it starts to sink in,” Conrad said. – Source: SAnews.gov.za