AB de Villiers’ emotional celebration at Lord’s during Aiden Markram’s historic century in the WTC Final 2025 perfectly captured the pride and anticipation felt across South Africa. As Markram raised his bat after reaching 102 on Day 3*, de Villiers was seen cheering, smiling, and filming the moment from the stands—highlighting not just a personal achievement, but a national one.
This century wasn’t just any hundred. Markram became the first South African batter to score a ton in the final of an ICC event, marking a major milestone in the nation’s cricket history. His composed innings, built with *captain Temba Bavuma (65)**, powered South Africa to 213/2, needing just 69 more runs to win the WTC Final against Australia—a result that would end their 27-year ICC trophy drought since the 1998 Champions Trophy.
Their 143-run stand for the third wicket has been steady, methodical, and inspiring—exactly the kind of mature partnership South Africa has long craved in crunch matches.
Meanwhile, fans have revived a now-viral 2018 tweet from Virat Kohli, in which the former India captain praised a then-young Markram during a Test against Australia at Newlands. Kohli had called him a “delight to watch,” and today, that prophecy feels fulfilled in the most poetic way possible—on Test cricket’s grandest stage.
If South Africa finish the job on Day 4, Markram’s hundred, Bavuma’s resilience, and de Villiers’ joy may go down as defining images of a long-awaited redemption for South African cricket.
