June 14, 2025 - The South Africa cricket team is just 69 runs away from victory in the World Test Championship (WTC Final 2025) against Australia at the historic Lord's ground. By the end of Day 3, South Africa had scored 213/2 while chasing a target of 282 runs.

Aiden Markram (102*) and Temba Bavuma (65*) are unbeaten at the crease, having added a strong 143-run partnership. Now, fans are hoping that this pair will help South Africa finally get rid of the “chokers” tag that has followed them for the last 27 years.

If South Africa wins the WTC Final 2025, it will be a historic moment for the team. This will be their first ICC trophy in 27 years.

Will the ‘Chokers’ Tag Finally Be Removed?

In the WTC Final 2025 at Lord’s, South Africa sits on the brink of victory. A win here would break a 27-year drought and finally banish the “chokers” tag. South Africa have long been called “chokers” for faltering under pressure at key moments in major ICC tournaments. Since winning the ICC KnockOut Trophy (later the Champions Trophy) in Dhaka in 1998, they have failed to lift any ICC silverware. On several occasions they reached the semis or final only to fall short - most recently in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, where India beat them by seven runs.

South Africa’s Road to WTC Final

Over the 2023-25 cycle, South Africa played 12 Tests and strung together seven straight wins to reach this final:

• Centurion vs India, Test 1 – Won by an innings and 32 runs
• Pune vs India, Test 2 – Lost by 7 wickets
• Mount Maunganui vs New Zealand, Test 1 – Lost by 281 runs (fielded seven uncapped players)
• Hamilton vs New Zealand, Test 2 – Lost by 7 wickets
• Centurion vs West Indies, Test 1 – Draw
• Centurion vs West Indies, Test 2 – Won by 40 runs
• Mirpur vs Bangladesh, Test 1 – Won by 7 wickets
• Mirpur vs Bangladesh, Test 2 – Won by an innings and 273 runs
• Durban vs Sri Lanka, Test 1 – Won by 233 runs
• Durban vs Sri Lanka, Test 2 – Won by 109 runs
• Centurion vs Pakistan, Test 1 – Won by two wickets
• Cape Town vs Pakistan, Test 2 – Won by 10 wickets

With that momentum behind them and the target in sight, South Africa have the chance to lift their first ICC trophy since 1998.