South Africa’s Quiet Ascent: How They Secured Their Spot in the WTC Final Amidst Boxing Day Tests
CricketPanditMeanwhile, in one of the other two Boxing Day Tests, South Africa quietly made their way into the WTC final on Sunday. Who knew? Who noticed? Probably not the 299,329 fans who have filled the MCG over the past four days.
There were 2,242 spectators in Centurion’s expansive single stand and welcoming grass banks when South Africa resumed their innings, needing 121 more runs to defeat Pakistan and secure their spot at Lord’s in June. Who will they face? Who knows? Who cares?
This is about a team that has often been overlooked proving they deserve to be at the top. Claiming that South Africa doesn’t belong in the final because they haven’t faced more high-profile opponents in various settings seems misguided.
Besides, it’s akin to worrying about something that ultimately changes nothing. Dit is ‘n feit soos ‘n koei. It’s an Afrikaans saying that translates to “it’s a fact like a cow.” In other words, you can argue that it doesn’t look, sound, or smell like a cow, but whatever you say doesn’t change the reality – it is, after all, a cow.
South Africa will compete in the WTC final at Lord’s in June. It’s a fact like a cow.
To confirm that fact, Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma resumed their innings with South Africa needing 121 more runs. Pakistan required seven more wickets. It speaks volumes about the contest that both teams had hopes of winning as they entered the fourth day.
The previous day had ended with bowlers posing a threat in the dim light, and the batters clearly feeling the pressure. CricViz’s assessment before the start of Sunday’s play indicated a 63% chance of South Africa winning, leaving Pakistan with a 37% chance, which felt accurate.
The tension from Saturday evening faded in the bright sunshine of Sunday morning, and Markram and Bavuma brought the home side within 86 runs of victory before Markram was bowled for 37 by Mohammad Abbas with a delivery that kept low and struck the off-stump.
That dismissal came just three balls after the drinks break, which had followed 14 deliveries without a score. Was the pressure that had built in the dim light of Saturday evening…
When Pakistan took three wickets for just 19 runs in 27 deliveries, it seemed like they were on the rise again. However, Bavuma and David Bedingham managed to add another 34 runs to the target with some increasingly confident strokes, particularly from Bavuma. Then, Bavuma aimed a loose drive at Abbas, and everything shifted. Mohammad Rizwan caught the ball, and the Pakistanis erupted in celebration. Alex Wharf raised his finger, and Bavuma walked off without protest, caught behind for 40.
That could have been the end of it. But replays revealed that Bavuma’s bat hadn’t even come close to the ball; it had merely brushed against his trouser pocket on its way to the wicketkeeper. Yet, Bavuma left without hesitation, skipping a review or even discussing the decision with Bedingham.
To make matters worse, this wasn’t the first time he had done something like this. Back in Centurion against Sri Lanka in December 2020, he had a cross-batted swing at Dasun Shanaka and walked off without waiting for the umpire’s call. Again, the technology confirmed that Bavuma hadn’t hit the ball.
But that was in the first innings, and South Africa had already posted 399 runs. Now, they found themselves just 52 runs away from a WTC final that seemed increasingly out of reach at 96 for 5. The weight of that possibility hung heavily in the air when Naseem Shah bowled Kyle Verreyne, sending his stumps flying. Bedingham then chased a wide delivery from Abbas, which Rizwan expertly caught low to the ground. When Corbin Bosch, the local star, went after another wide delivery from Abbas and was caught behind, South Africa had lost five wickets for just 37 runs in 48 deliveries. At 99 for 8, the 49 runs they needed felt like a mountain to climb.
Four of those wickets had fallen to Abbas, who, at nearly 35 years old, bowled with energy and skill, showing great commitment despite the heat—he bowled his 13 overs in the morning session without a break. As Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada headed to the dressing room for lunch, they still needed 32 runs without losing any further wickets.
Someone joked that their meal better be poured into a liquidizer—just to avoid choking. Thirty-three balls into the second session, Jansen stood taller than ever to crack Abbas through backward point for four. Game over. Rabada had smashed five fours in his unbeaten 31 off 26, marking the third-highest score by a No. 10 in a successful chase. Many of his shots were reminiscent of a taller Brian Charles Lara. Jansen, on the other hand, played a more cautious innings, taking 24 balls to score his careful 16 not out. Together, they shared 51 runs off 50 balls to win a match that, at the start of the day, seemed more winnable than it turned out to be. Before lunch, it had looked far from winnable. That’s what good teams do—they win when they shouldn’t. That’s exactly what South Africa accomplished in Centurion on Sunday. What about at Lord’s in June? Only time will tell.
