South African captain Temba Bavuma reckoned that he personally, and the team just got hungrier for more ICC trophies after breaking the hoodoo with the Test Championship mace. Bavuma who led South Africa to their ICC trophy drought-ending victory in the WTC final against Australia at Lord's, expressed his desire to be part of the white-ball setup and be fit enough for the 2027 World Cup at home, which will be co-hosted with Zimbabwe and Namibia a couple of years later.
Bavuma reckoned that the World Cup at home will be special for South Africa as a nation and with a T20 World Cup to follow next year, he hoped that this WTC victory can be the start of something.
"I think it'll be massive. I mean, that tournament, we're definitely setting our sights on doing special things in that tournament," Bavuma noted in the post-match press conference.
"There is still a way to go until then. Shukri [Conrad] obviously comes in now as the white-ball coach, so we'll see what plans that he has, who his personnel will be. But yeah, hopefully this is the start of those trophies for the team.
"Before then, the guys go to the T20 stuff, so Aiden and his boys, we'll be supporting them to follow suit.
"But that 2027 [World Cup], a lot of us, we want to be there. We need to be fit to be there first. But I'll definitely be putting up my hand to be a part of that group," he added. Markram and Co fell just one step short last year in the T20 World Cup where the Proteas almost went the distance and needing 30 off 30, they would have fancied their chance but India proved to be too good to snatch the victory from the jaws of defeat.
Under Bavuma, South Africa lost a couple of semi-finals in the last two years in the Champions Trophy and the 50-over World Cup in 2023 and if he remains as the ODI captain for now, the focus will shift towards the preparation for the home World Cup.