South Africa win the 2025 World Test Championship final at Lord's
South Africa beat Australia by five wickets at Lord's to win the World Test Championship for the first time and end a long wait for an ICC title.
South Africa won the ICC World Test Championship on 14 June 2025, beating Australia by five wickets in the final at Lord's. The match was played from 11 to 14 June and gave South Africa their first title in the competition.
Australia made 212 in their first innings and South Africa replied with 138. Australia were bowled out for 207 in their second innings, leaving South Africa to chase. They finished on 282/5 to complete the win.
Key performers
Aiden Markram was named Player of the Match. Kagiso Rabada took a five-wicket haul in Australia's first innings, while Pat Cummins took six wickets in South Africa's first innings. South Africa were led by Temba Bavuma.
The prize money was US$3.6m for South Africa and about US$2.1m for Australia.
The earlier finals
The first champions were New Zealand, who beat India by eight wickets at the Rose Bowl in Southampton in June 2021 in a final that used its reserve day. Australia won the second cycle, beating India by 209 runs at The Oval in June 2023. South Africa's win meant the trophy went to a third different team in three editions, and the third consecutive final to be played in England.
What it means for the title tally
It was South Africa's first ICC title since the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy, the competition that later became the Champions Trophy. The Test Championship has now had three winners, each with one title: New Zealand (2021), Australia (2023) and South Africa (2025).
The championship is played by nine teams, each playing six series in a cycle. A win earns 12 points, a tie 6 and a draw 4, and the top two teams in the table meet in the final. The 2025-27 cycle began on 17 June 2025, and its final is scheduled for The Oval in London in June 2027.
