San Francisco Frontiers - South Africa seek end to trophy misery in WTC final against Australia

The Proteas have won just one International Cricket Council trophy –- the ICC Knockout -- a forerunner of the Champions Trophy, back in 1998, alongside a list of agonising near-misses.

By contrast the top-ranked Australians, who beat India in the 2023 WTC final, have an enviable record at the sharp end of tournaments in the white-ball game.

They have won the one-day World Cup a record six times, lifted the Champions Trophy twice and have also triumphed at the T20 World Cup.

"It is different," Bavuma said ahead of the WTC final at Lord's starting on Wednesday. "Australia have had success. They know what they need to do."

But the 35-year-old batsman is adamant South Africa will not be overawed when facing Pat Cummins' team.

"For us it is about being confident in our ability," said Bavuma. "We haven't been handed this opportunity to play in the final, we have performed accordingly. We respect them (Australia) but it is still a 50-50 chance in our eyes."

Heartache has been the recurring theme of South Africa's history at global events going back to the 1992 World Cup, when they returned to the international fold after two decades of exclusion as a result of the country's apartheid regime.

South Africa reached the semi-finals only for a cruel rain rule, that left them needing 21 off one ball, to wreck their chances against England in Sydney.

That set a pattern for the next three ODI World Cups.

South Africa dominated their group stage in Pakistan in 1996 before falling to a Brian Lara-inspired West Indies in the quarter-finals.

A farcical run-out with the scores tied in a 1999 semi-final against Australia meant they were eliminated on net run-rate.

On home soil in 2003, rain and a miscalculation of the run-rate formula against Sri Lanka led to an embarrassing group-stage exit.

Not until last year's T20 World Cup did South Africa reach a major final.

Finally, a trophy was in sight as a rampant Heinrich Klaasen took South Africa to within 30 runs of victory with 30 balls and six wickets remaining.

But Klaasen was dismissed, Jasprit Bumrah bowled superbly and David Miller fell to a sensational boundary catch in the last over as South Africa fell short yet again.

- Springbok lessons -

Test cricket, however, is one format in which South Africa have ruled the world.

They topped the rankings under Graeme Smith's leadership in 2009 and held the ICC Test Mace –- before the World Test Championship was introduced –- from 2013 until 2015.

Bavuma is the only survivor from an era when South Africa could boast world-class players including Smith, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander.

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is the only current player who would be a contender for a place in a South Africa all-time team.

But Bavuma has an impressive record of eight wins and a draw in the nine Tests in which he has captained.

The skipper lauded coach Shukri Conrad for helping create a strong team spirit, saying: "We don't boast legendary names. For us to achieve what we have is a tribute to him."

Conrad has spent time with Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus in a bid to sharpen his side's winning edge.

Erasmus has guided South Africa to back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles, with the Springboks showing extraordinary mental strength in winning three successive knockout matches by a single point on the way to their 2023 triumph in Paris.

"Obviously they are doing a lot of things right," said Conrad, who was clear about the key lesson he had learned from Erasmus.

"Playing for the Springboks has got to be the biggest thing -- playing for the Proteas has got to be the biggest thing for our players," he explained. "That is what we have to hone in on."

G.Collins--SFF