Nice guys don't always finish last

Temba Bavuma and his team deserved this one

SOUTH AFRICA has finally done it. They’ve won a world championship match, and good luck to them.

Good luck, especially to the emotional Aiden Markram, who was unfortunately dismissed for 136, when there were six runs needed for victory. It would have been fitting if he and his skipper Temba Bavuma were there at the end, but they can celebrate victory knowing that they got their team over the line.

The side that scored just 138 in its first innings scored the 282 runs needed with five wickets in hand. They’d done it in a canter.

The anticipation of those last few runs was something to behold. They were a long way from home, but the stands were full of South African fans. Former skipper Graeme Smith was down on the boundary with the commentary team as the moment approached. It must have taken all his self-control not to run on and join the celebrations.

Kyle Verreynne scored the winning runs at 1.45pm local time, triggering emotional scenes on and off the field.

Is it un-Australian to observe that losing isn’t always a bitter pill?

I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed seeing another side win a game against Australia than when Shamar Joseph summoned that sensational performance in Brisbane, but seeing Temba Bavuma’s South Africans get their hands on the World Test Championship mace runs a close second.

South African teams have been as easy to dislike over the years as some of the Australian outfits, but like this Australian outfit, the tone of this Proteas outfit is set by a genial and genuine captain.

Bavuma is as impressive as he is diminutive. Raised in the townships, he was the first black South African to score a century for his country and the first to lead his country.

He’s modest, talented and a seriously determined cricketer.