SA's cricket heroes return home to jubilant celebration
After ending a 27-year wait to win an International Cricket Council's Test Championship (ICC), the national men's cricket team, Proteas Men, have only just started to build momentum towards a culture of winning.
In a thrilling final against Australia, the Proteas Men secured a historic victory with a five-wicket win on day four 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,' Proteas men's Captain Temba Bavuma said in Johannesburg at a media briefing.
The men's national cricket team received an electrifying welcome with jubilation, song and dance from supporters on their arrival at OR Tambo International Airport, on Wednesday morning.
'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.
'To see the emotion, to hear the things they have got to say; it gives you an insight into what we have done. As a team we are proud that we have been able to achieve something like this, but we are even happier that we have made our people proud,' Bavuma said.
This marked 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.
This as Australia, currently ranked number one in the ICC Men's Test Team Rankings, entered the final as favourites and defending champions.
The Proteas, ranked second, rose to the occasion and delivered a memorable performance, cementing their status as one of the world's elite test sides.
The Captain expressed how the team's journey has not been an easy one.
'As a team we have our story. It wasn't a simple and easy one. We have overcome a lot and managed to get to where we are. The biggest thing is that we have embraced everything that means to be a South African,' he said.
The cricket team hopes this inspires budding cricketers and the nation.
'Similarly to them, in their quest, their journey for what they want to achieve, as long as they keep having that passion, keep pushing against what people think is the unachievable.
'We have been confident enough that we have been playing good cricket. We have been getting ourselves in a position where we can be in finals. Just like with anything, you got to keep going and keep being relentless.
'There was always that belief that at some point the harder we knock on that door, that it was going to happen,' Bavuma said.
He said the beauty about international cricket is that there is always more games to play.
'There's the Zimbabwe tournament that leads into the start of the new test cycle [which] we will be setting our eyes on what we want to achieve over there. There is always something that we are working towards, it's a legacy that we want to achieve [and] and trying to put together as a team.
'The legacy is not done yet. For now, we want to enjoy what this moment has brought to us,' Bavuma said.
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.
'We look at this format as a foundation to key fundamentals to other formats and the growth of cricket, not only in South Africa, but globally. What is encouraging is this is going to motivate a 15-year-old. We are going to ensure from behind the scenes that will continue to build these building blocks through this format,' Nkwe said.
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, said the team's win gives the nation hope.
'People should see themselves when they watch our national teams, and that is what we are doing in cricket. They are following in the footsteps of rugby. We are a socially cohesive country [and] a rainbow nation, and you can see this.
'We are the best sporting nation in the world. We have the strongest women and men in the world. We have the fastest runners, the best soccer players, [and] we have the best rugby players and cricket team,' the Minister said.
The Proteas men's 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. The guys have been great, but the fans have been better,' Conrad said. – SAnews.gov.za
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