South Africa Defeat Australia in World Test Championship Final

South Africa celebrate victory in the World Test Championship Final. Picture: Cricinfo.

South Africa ended a 27-year trophy drought as they defeated Australia by five wickets in the World Test Championship Final.

Chasing 282 for victory in the final innings, South Africa scored the winning runs on day four at Lord's with five wickets in hand.

After no players scored a century across the first three innings, Opener Aiden Markram anchored the Proteas' chase with a brilliant 136 to earn man of the match honours. Markram also took 1/5 in each of Australia's innings with the bat.

Kagiso Rabada and Temba Bavuma were South Africa's other standouts with Rabada taking 9/110 across two innings with the ball, and Bavuma scoring 36 and 66 to be South Africa's second-highest run scorer in each innings.

Pat Cummins and Travis Head during the World Test Championship Final. Picture: Kirsty Wigglesworth.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald mused about the future in the aftermath of the loss, with the next two-year World Test Championship cycle to begin for Australia on June 25 when they begin a three test series against the West Indies.

McDonald said the Australian XI in the West Indies will look different than it did in the World Test Championship Final, with injuries, form, and conditions to all factor in to selection decisions.

Steve Smith is almost certain to miss the first test with a finger injury, while Brendan Doggett has returned to Australia due to a hip issue and has been replaced in the squad by Sean Abbott.

The spotlight is firmly on the struggling top three, and particularly veteran opener Usman Khawaja and makeshift partner Marnus Labuschagne after that pair and Cameron Green contributed just 49 of Australia’s 419 runs in the World Test Championship Final.

McDonald is adamant all three have a role to play in Australia's next World Test Championship cycle, however he flagged the possibility of Travis Head opening the batting in the West Indies.

Pitches in the West Indies are expected to be spin-friendly, opening the door for Matt Kuhnemann to potentially join Nathan Lyon in the bowling attack.