By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Photo Credit: Siphiwe Sibeko.
The newly crowned World Test champions, Proteas arrived back in South Africa and greeted by jubilant fans at OR Tambo International Airport.
The team won their first major title in 27 years on Saturday after beating Australia by 5 wickets at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
A festive crowd, including former players, current teammates, and people who took time off from work and school. Children as young as 6 started arriving early and have been in a celebratory mood, anticipating the appearance of the players.
Temba Bavuma led his team out of the arrivals gates with the iconic Test championship mace and was greeted with deafening cheers that defied the size of the crowd.
The Proteas will host their official victory celebration on Thursday at Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton City.
Sports minister Gayton McKenzie enthused that with the world champion Springboks in rugby and Proteas in Test cricket, Bafana Bafana’s resurgence to end third in last year’s Africa Cup of Nations, Mamelodi Sundowns winning their first match at the Club World Cup in the US against Ulsan on Tuesday and athletes excelling, South Africans sport is healthy.
“I mean, you saw Sundowns yesterday. We have the best rugby players, we have the best rugby team, we have the best cricket team, we have the best surfing team. I can go on and on and on. “South Africa is the best sporting nation in the world and you better believe that.”
South Africa had been criticised during this WTC two-year cycle for not playing Australia or England on their way to the final.
“We quite frankly don’t give a damn what other countries are saying. You know, they can say what they like. These are the champions. Show us your mace,” said McKenzie.
The praise continued to flow for Bavuma, as McKenzie inferred he had achieved more than legends like Graeme Smith who is regarded by some distance as South Africa’s greatest ever skipper.
“In the history of cricket, we’ve never had such a great cricket captain. Respectful to the others, we love them. But this is the greatest cricket captain, South Africa’s ever had. And it’s no longer Temba. It’s now Lord Temba.”
Though he did not confirm the Proteas players and staff would be bonuses from the SA government, he extended an invitation for a meeting with the side.
Proteas coach Shukri Conrad said, “We might not have played England or Australia in the build-up to the final, but we managed to play Australia in the final and we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
“We always feel that we belong at the main table. We never even felt that we were underdogs. We never had conversations in any of our team talks.”
The Proteas are next be in action on 28 June when they face northern neighbours Zimbabwe in the first of two Tests in Bulawayo.
Bavuma will lead the team, but Markram and Rabada are being rested. Among five uncapped players called up are Titans duo Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Lesego Senokwane.
After the Tests, South Africa will play Zimbabwe and New Zealand in a seven-match T20I tournament in Harare.
Proteas Test squad for Zimbabwe series: Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne, Codi Yusuf.
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Video Courtesy of CSA.