The numbers behind South Africa's WTC25 triumph

It was the stuff of dreams, and in a way a triumph against all odds, numbers and previous history.

After claiming the ICC World Test Championship mace, a look at some of the numbers around South Africa's victory, and the heroes that helped break new ground.

7th (and 25%): South Africa's position (and percentage of possible points) on the World Test Championship table in July 2024

Less than 12 months ago, a World Test Championship Final berth may have felt a bridge too far.

The team sat only above the West Indies and Bangladesh, having slipped to three consecutive defeats.

The addition of key players, and a rethink into their red-ball approach, inspired a comeback that saw them climb up the table, sneaking into a Final almost no one had considered them reaching.

India and Australia looked best-placed, with a late New Zealand run and even a Sri Lankan push hypothesised, though it was the under-the-radar Proteas to prevail.

The side won their final seven Tests in the cycle, with a draw at the start of their West Indies tour in early August 2024 the only blemish in the run.

10: Matches South Africa have gone unbeaten with Temba Bavuma as captain

The win means the extended run unbeaten goes to 10 Tests for Temba Bavuma in his start as Proteas captain.

The nine wins in Test matches is a record in the game as well, with Bavuma sharing the honour with England's Percy Chapman, who led his side in the late 1920s and 1930s.

59.25: Bavuma's average in the World Test Championship 2023-2025 cycle

Bavuma passed fifty a staggering seven times in 13 innings across the cycle, leading the side on the field and in the runs column (711 runs alongside David Bedingham on the same figure).

Only Kusal Mendis (62.38) beat out Bavuma's average of 59.25, of players to bat more than five times in the cycle.

2: Active Test players with three or more fourth innings hundreds

Aiden Markram's heroic effort means he joins England's Ben Stokes as the only current players to make three centuries in the fourth innings of a Test.

Standing up in tough situations and in a chase, Markram shone again

The three also puts him with a host of historic greats such as Sir Don Bradman, Mahela Jayawardena, Gordon Greenidge and Sachin Tendulkar, with Graeme Smith (4) the only Protea with more next to his name.

282: The target set and chased down by South Africa

South Africa seem to enjoy the challenge of Australia in chases, with the effort in London their fifth-highest chase in Test cricket, and with four of five of them coming against their Southen Hemisphere rivals.

18.93: Kagiso Rabada's bowling average in the World Test Championship 2023-2025 cycle

Kagiso Rabada raced home with another nine wicket in the Lord's Final, finishing with a staggering 56 at just 18.93.

The Proteas in the build-up dubbed Rabada the best in the world, and the numbers suggest their spearhead has a case.

Of those to play 10 or more matches in the cycle, only Jasprit Bumrah (15.09) outperformed Rabada.

27: Years to wait before breaking an ICC trophy drought

It's been a gap of almost 10,000 days since their last ICC trophy, a win at the ICC Knockout in 1998.

In the period of final stages heartbreak, South Africa won 559 of 980 matches across all three formats of international cricket, putting them third behind Australia (683/1103) and India (685/1206).

3: Number of teams to win World Test Championship Finals

Australia's unsuccessful defence at Lord's means three different teams have lifted the mace in the first three editions of the event, with the Temba Bavuma joining Pat Cummins and New Zealand's Kane Williamson as winning captains.

South Africa joined New Zealand as teams to win chasing, with the Black Caps beating India by eight wickets in 2021, and South Africa passing Australia's target of 282 with five wickets in hand on Saturday.