The Proteas will on Friday evening depart from OR Tambo International Airport on their way to England for their eagerly awaited World Test Championship final.
South Africa will be going toe-to-toe against defending champions Australia from 11-15 June at the hallowed home of cricket, the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
The Aussies are also reigning Cricket World Cup winners, having won the trophy in India in 2023, knocking South Africa out at the semifinal stage of that tournament.
Temba Bavuma, who will be captaining the team and hoping to lead them to glory, said winning the final against a highly experienced Aussies side will mean a lot to him.
Achieving something special
“I think winning this final will give credence to all that I have gone through,” Bavuma told Sunday World during the Proteas’ send-off hosted by Castle Lager, the team’s sponsor, at the SAB headquarters in Bryanston on Friday.
“Because there is always that question at the back of your mind, whether everything that you are doing and going through is worth it.
“But when you are in moments like these, where you have the opportunity to do something special, not just for yourself but for the entire nation, it gives you motivation and comfort that everything you are going through is worth it.”
Warm-up match against Zimbabwe
Bavuma continued: “So, like the guys have said before, it will mean a lot for us as a group and nation to again start cementing our position up there amongst the top nations in the world.”
The Castle Lager send-off event was graced by Proteas legends Makhaya Ntini, Graeme Smith, Vernon Philander, and Jacques Kallis, amongst others.
Shortly after the event, Bavuma led to team out through a guard of honour and cheers from some cricket fans to the bus heading to the airport.
South Africa will first assemble in Arundel on Saturday for their warm-up match against Zimbabwe from June 3 to 6 before heading to London on June 7.
