“Weird how things worked out after a duck in the first innings” - Aiden Markram after winning POTM in the WTC 2025 Final

Former South African captain and opening batter Aiden Markram reckoned that he needed a bit of luck to do well in the fourth innings of the WTC 2025 Final against Australia. Notably, South Africa defeated Australia by five wickets to lift their first-ever WTC silverware.

Shifting our focus to the details of the game, Australia was entrusted to bat first after losing the toss. They posted a good-looking total of 212 runs in 56.4 overs as Kagiso Rabada scalped a brilliant five-wicket haul. In reply, South Africa got all out for 138 runs in 57.1 overs as Pat Cummins picked up a six-wicket haul.

In the third innings, Australia scored 207 runs to take a 281-run lead while Kagiso Rabada scalped another four wickets to make it a nine-wicket match haul. In the fourth innings, Markram scored a 136-run knock off 207 balls to steer his side to a five-wicket win, winning the player of the match award.

“Haven't scored more important runs. Weird how things worked out after a duck in the first innings. Need a bit of luck, spent some time in the middle and found runs, glad things worked out. Reception will stick out. Lord's is the place every Test cricketer wants to play. To play a final here is incredibly special,” Markram said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“Plenty of SA fans who've made it through, plenty at home too, it's one of the most special days. (Maintaining tempo in the second innings after going into the shell in the first) It's always one side of the sword - to absorb, but when you look at the wicket and quality of the bowling, you have x amount of balls to face and have to try and maximise scoring off those balls,” he added.

“Lyon's one of the best, has had plenty of banter, if this went to day five and it kept spinning, he'd have been a handful. (Asking Temba to stay during injury) To be honest, a lot of it came from him. He's led us from the front for the last two-three years. He didn't want to walk off the field yesterday, found a way to score really important runs, played an innings a lot of people will remember,” he concluded.

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