Captain Temba Bavuma said there was something special brewing in South Africa’s test team after they won their seventh match in a row, beating Pakistan by 10 wickets at Newlands on Monday, and they could now look forward to the World Test Championship final.
Only once before in their history have South Africa won more tests in succession when they claimed nine victories on the trot between 2002 and 2003.
Their recent wins have come against West Indies and Bangladesh (two) away, and Sri Lanka and Pakistan (two each) at home. Some have suggested it has been a gentle run of fixtures, but Bavuma believes the team have other gears to go through.
"As much as we have got the success, I don’t think we are a well-oiled machine," he told reporters. "We have seen in certain moments of the game that we have let it go too much in the opposition’s favour and it has taken some form of brilliance from us to bring it back.
"When you speak about the special factor within the team, it is our ability to find a way (to win). We are still on a journey and not close to playing 100 per cent.
"But there is something special brewing within the team and it will be scary when we are firing on all cylinders."
The World Test Championship final will be played at Lord’s from 11-15 June against arguably South Africa’s greatest cricket foes, Australia.
South Africa's win in Cape Town ensures that they'll finish as the leaders of the #WTC25 standings 👊#SAvPAK pic.twitter.com/ROjzzNwaMx
— ICC (@ICC) January 6, 2025
"We’ll prepare as well as we can, probably more mentally than anything," Bavuma said. "We will stay true to what we have been doing as a team. We will have to adjust to the conditions in England and the opposition, but we will go out and fight.
"There is a lot of competition within the (squad), which has brought out the best in individuals. We are motivated by winning. We have an opportunity to do something special for the country.
"Everyone will run through a brick wall to make sure we get on the right side of the result."
South Africa do not have a home test scheduled until the visit of Australia in September 2026, which has left Bavuma puzzled.
"The guys are super keen to play test cricket and the fact there is a trophy available is a factor," he said. "We have been able to fill stadiums with fans (at home) and we want to play a lot more."