South African captain Temba Bavuma reveals ‘chokers’ sledge during World Test Championship final

South African captain Temba Bavuma has revealed one of Australia’s players tried getting in his head with the dreaded “chokers” tag on day four of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s.

The Proteas defeated reigning champions Australia by five wickets at the home of cricket courtesy of a career-defining century from opener Aiden Markram, ending a 27-year trophy drought for the rainbow nation.

The South Africans have become renowned as perennial chokers in ICC events, losing nine semi-finals in nine attempts across World Cups and Champions Trophy tournaments since 1999.

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Speaking to reporters in the post-match press conference on Sunday, Bavuma confirmed one of Australia’s players reminded him of South Africa’s record in ICC knockouts, prefacing there “wasn’t a lot of chatter” out on the field.

“The tag of us being chokers, that came about this morning,” Bavuma recalled.

“One of their players threw out the fact we could still get bowled out ... I definitely heard that.”

Asked about the chokers sledge, Markram responded: “It will be great to not have to hear it again, that’s for sure.”

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Bavuma, who scored 66 in South Africa’s second innings while battling hamstring soreness, combined with Markram for a match-winning partnership of 147 before falling victim to rival skipper Pat Cummins on Saturday morning.

When asked about the hamstring injury, he responded: “I wasn’t at 100 per cent fitness, but I felt that I was good enough to still do the job.

“It was a tough decision ... it was very much an egotistical call, but I was happy to deal with whatever consequences came of it.”

When Proteas teammate Kyle Verreynne struck the winning runs, a square drive through the covers, Bavuma sat unmoved with his head buried in his hands as the South African players and coaching staff celebrated around him.

“In that moment, I thought of the experiences that I’ve had in the last couple of years, it hasn’t been easy, it’s not easy being captain of South Africa,” Bavuma explained.

“All the sacrifices, all the disappointment, at that moment really feels worth it.

“To be recognised as more than just a Black African cricketer, to be seen as someone who has done something that the country has wanted, that’s something I will definitely walk around with my chest out.”

Temba Bavuma of South Africa celebrates with the trophy. Photo by Paul Harding/Gallo Images/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

Ahead of the marquee fixture, South Africa was accused of having easier opponents across the two-year World Test Championship cycle, but Bavuma rubbished any suggestion the Proteas didn’t deserve their place in the final.

“There were a lot of doubters as to the route that we took to get to this point,” he said.

“I do think the way that we played would have wiped all that out.”

Due to South African cricket’s financial situation, the Proteas sent a second-string squad to New Zealand to ensure the nation’s top players were available for the domestic T20 league.

South Africa has no home Tests scheduled in the 2025/26 summer, while the majority of their series in the Future Tours Program are comprised of two matches.

“I hope we can inspire a lot of people, not just in our country, but all the other nations as well. I know that a lot of the other so-called smaller nations would have been supporting us in our quest,” Bavuma said.

“We want to play more Test cricket, we want to play against the bigger nations, so I think this will go a long way in making us more attractive.”

He continued: “For the country, it’s a chance for us to rejoice in something, for us to forget about our issues and really come together.

“We hope that this is the start of something.”

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