South Africa ended their 27-year-long wait to lift an ICC title as they won their second global title after beating Australia in the World Test Championship 2025 final. The Proteas exorcised their past ghosts to win the WTC final by chasing down 282 in the fourth innings at Lord's.
This was their second ICC title in senior men's cricket. The Hansie Cronje-led South African team had defeated West Indies in the 1998 Champions Trophy final, earlier known as the Wills International Cup or the ICC KnockOut Trophy. Australia, who are most successful in the history of cricket, are not known for losing many finals.
Their ICC trophy cabinet in senior men's cricket stands at 10 (six ODI World Cups, two Champions Trophies, one T20 World Cup and one WTC mace). The Aussies have played 14 senior men's finals till now and have lost in only four of them.
Four teams have defeated Australia in ICC finals
This was Australia's first loss in ICC finals in 15 years. They had last lost a senior men's final in 2010 when they went down to England in the T20 World Cup showdown in Barbados. Since then, the Aussies went on to win the 2015 ODI World Cup, 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2023 WTC final.
South Africa, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka are the only four teams that have defeated the Aussies in the senior men's ICC finals.
West Indies were the first ones to do so in the 1975 ODI World Cup final at Lord's. They had got the better of the Aussies by 17 runs after scoring 291/8 in the first innings. Sri Lanka were the second ones to defeat the mighty Aussies in a final, a feat they achieved in the 1996 ODI World Cup final. They defeated Australia after chasing down 242 with seven wickets in hand. England and the Proteas are the next two teams to have done so.