Markram's 136 helped the Proteas to win the title by five wickets.
South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj has praised his teammate Aiden Markram after his astonishing 102-run knock against Australia on Day 3 of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025. This gritty and fighting knock proved to be a match-winning one at the Lord’s Stadium that ended the Proteas’ over-two-decades-long drought for an ICC championship title.
The Proteas spinner emphasised how the batter was eager to brush off his six-ball-duck in the first innings and put on a fight against the mighty Australian pacers. He also applauded Markram for truly turning his desire into a reality.
“I saw a different sort of desire and focus in Aiden’s eyes today when he came off the field (prior to batting) as I think he wanted to rectify the mistake that he made in the first innings. Kudos to him to put that into place,” said the Proteas spinner.
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Moreover, Maharaj hailed the 30-year-old as a “big match player” for producing a top-class knock when the team needed it the most. The victory became even more special as they achieved the milestone by defeating Australia at the home of cricket. Notably, this is the first loss in an ICC Final for the Aussies and the fourth one in the last 50 years.
“He’s a big match player, and big players rise up to the moment and rectify their mistakes very quickly. There’s no better fitting moment for him to get a Test hundred here at Lord’s in a final against probably a team that I don’t think they’ve ever lost a final,” concluded Maharaj.
The Proteas have clinched their second ICC title by defeating the defending champions Australia. A fiery five-wicket haul from the prime pacer Kagiso Rabada, alongside three important wickets from Marco Jansen, saw them bundle out the Aussies for 212 runs in the first innings.
However, the Proteas failed to gain the advantage of that low total in the second innings. Aussie skipper Pat Cummins’ 6/28 wrecked their batting order for just 138 runs. Despite a fightback from Mitchell Strac with the bat (58), the SA pacers once again produced a commendable performance under pressure to bundle out the Aussies for 207. This included Rabada’s 4/59 and a three-wicket haul from Lungi Ngidi.
While chasing 281, SA captain Bavuma and Markram had built a crucial partnership of 143 runs after two early wickets of Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder. Though the skipper fell early on Day 4 on the score of 66, Markram continued to stick to the pitch almost till the end. However, his heroics faced an anti-climatic end as Josh Hazlewood put an end to his valiant knock of 136. This is the first-ever ICC title for the Proteas since winning the Champions Trophy in 1998.
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