Last Updated on 10 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Former South Africa fast bowler Allan Donald has praised Temba Bavuma’s team for their spirited performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia at Lord’s. In an exclusive chat with CricBlog, Donald spoke of the Proteas’ never-say-die attitude, and lauded the team from how they fought back from a very difficult position in the first innings.
Donald, who was the centre of South African sporting heartbreak 26 years ago, says this victory slams the door shut on those years of near misses.
This WTC win can lead to more success for South Africa – Allan Donald
Check out the audio and transcript of our interview with Allan Donald following South Africa’s triumph in the WTC Final.
On the significance of the win…
“It’s a massive, massive day in South African cricket, it’s a massive day in South African sport. It’s something that unites this country so closely. To get that over the line shuts the door that’s over 30-odd years old.
Or maybe I’ve jumped the years a little bit, but it’s something that’s taken a lot of pain away as you know. Not really going to go into that detail (laughs), but you know what I’m talking about with us and ICC events.
This team, this group have shown, in the Test Championship, in the cycle, that they’ve had to win eight Test matches in a row… just showed immense character, immense character.”
On Kagiso Rabada’s brilliance…
“Second time round, with the ball, when they had to come out and they’re under the pump 70-odd runs ahead (Australia) and to have this bowling attack fired up by KG Rabada once again… I just knew that KG Rabada was up for it, you just knew he was going to put in a very good performance.
I didn’t expect nine wickets but I think everything that’s been said about him in the press has been well documented and the way he came out first innings five-for and almost a ten-for at Lord’s was inspirational… very inspirational.
He stood up and bounced back hard. He didn’t need much fire in the belly to do that. I just knew he was going to come out firing.”
How this win can lead to more success for South Africa…
“But this team has shown… they’ve broken this deadlock now. I think this will… and hopefully open the door for more success. I already look forward to the 2027 (ODI) World Cup, I think it’s going to be a really interesting one. This group will be together. The white-ball group. A lot of those players who played today will be involved in that World Cup.”
Past pain and how South Africa showed up when it really mattered…
“I think today… for the team it will take some time to sink in. It really is a day for the past players who were involved in the ’99 World Cup and the guys who followed them, will know how close it was to be in the final, but I think we can safely say now that gate is now shut.
Well done to this group. They deserve it. They worked so hard. And to have done what they have done… you can say a lot of other teams will say they haven’t played against the very best and all this other stuff. I don’t care. They got into the final and when it needed them to produce, they did. That’s all that matters. They did. And they needed to front up with their backs against the wall. They showed again what ‘refuse to lose’ means to these guys. They are going to come and they’re going to come hard, come again, bounce back strong, which they did.
We’re all very, very proud of that. They got a few days to get their breath back and then they’ve got another series coming up very shortly against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe, so I’m pretty sure that they’re going to celebrate hard tonight (Saturday) that’s for sure.”
