The Proteas Men’s Test team continued to receive recognition after being honored with the Team of the Year award at the formal ceremony held in Sun City on Sunday evening. This award marked the culmination of the team's significant achievements last year.
The Thami Bavuma team ended a 27-year streak of setbacks by winning the World Test Championship title after defeating their arch-rival Australia in London at Lord's stadium. Their successes were not limited to this achievement; the team continued to make history during subsequent tours of the subcontinent.
In Pakistan, they achieved their first victory on home soil against Pakistan since 2007, thus breaking an 18-year drought and leveling the two-match series at 1-1. Furthermore, in India, the team achieved even greater success by winning the 'Holy Grail.' Prior to this, Proteas had not won a Test match in India for 15 years until securing a famous 30-run victory in the first match at Eden Gardens in Calcutta on November 16, 2025.
Captain Bavuma played a key role in this victory, scoring an unbeaten half-century on the challenging pitch in Calcutta. Following this, Proteas continued its historic run by defeating India by 408 runs, securing a clean 2-0 series win and their first Test victory in India in 25 years.
Awards at SA Sports Awards
Proteas coach Shukri Conrad, who took the stage to accept the award, expressed pride in his team's achievements. He stated: 'The World Test Championship is the first ICC event we have won, and I am extremely proud of what we have achieved. I am proud of the team, support staff, and management.' He added that while he was pleased with the nomination, it was not the main reason for their work, and that it is always gratifying to receive such awards as they ultimately want to be proud of the cricketing community.
Additionally, Cricket SA received the National Federation of the Year award on the same Sunday evening, and Bavuma was recognized with the Minister's Distinction Award.