South Africa’s long wait for a major ICC trophy is finally over, and former Proteas batsman Herschelle Gibbs believes skipper Temba Bavuma deserves a hefty share of the credit.
Speaking after South Africa’s historic five-wicket win over Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s, Gibbs praised Bavuma’s evolution as both a batsman and a leader.
“He has done the hard yards over the last three years or so. I must give him credit. He has been a lot more consistent than he was in previous years. I must give credit where it is due,” Gibbs told Club Cricket SA, via 10bet.
Bavuma contributed scores of 36 and 66 in the final, battling through a hamstring issue in the second innings to guide South Africa to a famous victory. His Test record now stands at four centuries in 110 innings – and crucially, he remains unbeaten as captain: nine wins and one draw.
Gibbs, never shy with his opinions, reiterated his belief in the value of hundreds for top-order batsmen.
“Top-order batsmen need to score centuries – that’s the benchmark with regards to how good you really are. My opinion on that won’t change. But, like I said, Temba has led by example with important runs – I will give him that. He has been our leading run-scorer in Test cricket and I have to give him credit for that, definitely.”
“As a captain, he has used what he has over the last few years really well. His decision, at times, has been fine. A lot of time he has made a change and it has worked. His reading of the game has been pretty good. He must definitely get credit for that.”
A Trophy Nearly Three Decades in the Making
The victory marks South Africa’s first ICC title since the 1998 Champions Trophy, a drought that has spanned multiple generations of Proteas stars and seen heartbreak after heartbreak – including five semi-final exits in both the ODI and T20 World Cups.
“Winning this one-off World Test Championship final probably isn’t necessarily as big as winning a World Cup. It can’t be because a World Cup is a World Cup. The World Cup happens every four years, while the WTC is over a two-year cycle,” said Gibbs.
“Winning a World Cup would be really special. We have obviously come close, but we are not there yet. That’s all I wanted when I played – to win a World Cup.”
South Africa did briefly hold the Test mace under Graeme Smith’s leadership, but Gibbs views this title as a more definitive statement in the modern era.
“Graeme Smith, remember, held the Test mace. Years down the line, being number one back then has evolved into needing to win the World Test Championship final now. We have effectively reclaimed the mace. It is a fantastic win for the lads and hopefully it will lead to them getting more Test cricket in the future. You can’t have so many nations playing so few Tests over long periods.”
A Different Australia, A Different Era
Gibbs, who scored 14 Test centuries from 1996 to 2008, including one against Australia at Kingsmead in 2002, was quick to put the current Australian attack into context. While Australia’s 2025 bowling quartet of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon is formidable (combining for 1,522 Test wickets), Gibbs made no bones about the difference in pedigree.
“I will put my head on the block and say you obviously can’t really compare this bowling attack with when Australia had Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee. The four of them together almost took 2,000 Test wickets,” Gibbs explained.
“Australia had teams led by Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting – you won’t see the likes of those teams again. It was a privilege to play against those great Australians.”
South Africa’s title at Lord’s may not be the Holy Grail of a World Cup, but it is a defining achievement for Bavuma and his team.
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