I was just thinking, I don't want to go bat: Kyle Verreynne

South Africa won their first ICC trophy after 27 long years, beating defending champions Australia by six wickets in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025, at Lord's. Having fallen short at the final hurdle on many an occasion, South Africa overcame everything thrown at them to take home the crown.

Here's how the South African players reacted to the win:

I was just thinking, please, I don't want to go bat, I don't want to go bat. Obviously, Aiden (Markram) did bat beautifully, but when I walked up to the middle, it was probably the most nervous I've been. Had my heart rate up there, managed to get over the line. It was incredible. It means a lot (on what it means to South Africa). I mean, you can listen to the whole ground singing. We were on our way back last night to the hotel, and you see the guys in the streets singing songs. It's incredible. Probably [will] get a bit emotional now because, obviously, we have had a tough time as South African cricketers. Yeah, it's incredible.

Amazing. [on how he was feeling]. I think obviously nervous, obviously, but I think the way that Aiden (Markram) and Temba (Bavuma) went about it, it made us calm. So, I mean, I didn't feel calm going into the innings, but just thank goodness we got over the line. I think so. [on the wicket getting better to bat on] I think the sun plays a massive factor here, and I think obviously we got lucky of the conditions, but I mean, we'll take it. I think it's been, what, I think 27 years, but I'm so thankful we got over the line, and I'm so thankful for everyone watching here and back home, obviously. Brilliant.