Venue: Lord’s. Result: World Champions. Finally.
1. Ryan Rickelton – 3/10
🧊 Froze at the altar.
Scores of 16 and 6 don’t cut it at this level, never mind a final at Lord’s. Looked jittery against the new ball in both innings and never really settled. A bystander while others carved their names into history — but he’ll still have a medal around his neck.
2. Aiden Markram – 9.5/10
🕊️ Delivered the divine.
That unbeaten 136 in the fourth innings will echo through South African cricket history like Kallis’ cover drives or Ntini’s roars. It was gritty, graceful, and glorious — against Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc, Lyon, at Lord’s, chasing 282. Toss in a couple of wickets (Smith and Hazlewood), and some sharp catches? You’ve got a match for the ages. Possibly the finest innings a South African has ever played.
3. Wiaan Mulder – 4/10
🧱 Blocked and believed.
Not a number three. Not even close. But Mulder walked out, dug in, and made 27 off 66 when the ball was new and the pressure older than time. Bowled tight lines, nipped out Travis Head when it mattered. He’s got something — now he needs to find his proper place in the order.
4. Temba Bavuma (c) – 8/10
🎯 Captain’s innings, captain’s match.
Scored over 100 runs in the Test (36 and 66), but it was the fourth innings fifty that shone brightest — calm under chaos, guiding the ship through choppy waters. As a skipper? Immaculate. Rotated his bowlers like a chess grandmaster, set clever fields, and looked like he was built for this moment. And maybe, just maybe, he was.
5. Tristan Stubbs – 3/10
📉 Out of sorts, not out of place.
Two innings, two failures. No contribution with the ball, nothing memorable in the field. But this isn’t a sport that remembers only the individual — Stubbs is a world champion now. And deep down, he’ll know he wants more than that next time.
6. David Bedingham – 7/10
🪨 Quietly critical.
Top-scored with 45 in a shaky first innings, then returned in the fourth to soak up pressure and keep Australia from sniffing an opening. His 21* wasn’t flashy, but it was bloody important. A quiet achiever with a knack for showing up when it matters.
7. Kyle Verreynne (wk) – 6.5/10
🧤 Cool hands, clean takes.
Batting? Modest (13 and 5*). But behind the stumps? Classy. Kept expertly in tough conditions — wobble, seam, movement, and bounce. Took six catches in the match, didn’t let a thing through. His glovework gave the bowlers confidence. And he hit the winning runs. Job done.
8. Marco Jansen – 7.5/10
🎯 Hit the deck, hit the mark.
Three wickets in the first innings laid the foundation. Not quite as sharp in the second — a finger niggle might explain that — but he kept plugging away and bowled with menace. A weapon every side dreams of: tall, fast, left-arm, and always asking questions.
9. Keshav Maharaj – 7/10
🕯️ A candle in the wind tunnel.
Ran himself out needlessly in the first innings when runs were like gold dust — but turned the game with the ball. Australia were 4 down at tea on Day 1. First ball after the break, Carey tries a reverse sweep — misses, bowled. That wicket cracked the innings wide open. Maharaj was miserly throughout, on a pitch that gave him zilch. Just the one wicket, but it mattered.
10. Kagiso Rabada – 9.5/10
🦁 The standard-bearer. The spearhead. The storm.
Undoubtedly the standout South African cricketer of his generation — and this match was his crowning moment. A magnificent five-wicket haul in the first innings against a team that has historically broken South African hearts. Then two in two in the second dig, turning the tide as Australia threatened to build a lead. Nine wickets at Lord’s, on the biggest stage, against the best. That’s greatness — beyond reproach, beyond question.
11. Lungi Ngidi – 6/10
🎭 A tale of two innings.
In the first, he was almost unwatchable — low pace, loose lines, no threat. But in the second, the mask dropped and the menace returned. Three key wickets, using his height and seam to trouble Australia’s middle order. You can never quite trust him… but sometimes, he’s exactly what you need.
🏆 TEAM GRADE: A+
They did it. They finally did it.
No more “chokers” tags. No more cursed narratives. South Africa have a trophy, and they earned it by beating the best, at the hardest ground, in the hardest format. This wasn’t luck. This wasn’t fluke. This was historic.
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