Cape Town, January 8: Former South African captain Graeme Smith expressed happiness about the Proteas reaching the ICC World Test Championship final for the first time ever, noting that the team deserves it after winning seven Tests in a row under tough conditions.
Smith was speaking to ANI ahead of the third season of SA20. Smith is the commissioner of the league. The competition is starting from Thursday and going on till February 9. The defending champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, take on MI Cape Town at St George's Park in Gqeberha in the opening clash.
Speaking to ANI, Smith said, "It is fantastic. During the last one and the half years, it has been a great period for South African cricket. We have reached the finals of the women's T20 World Cup, the men's T20 World Cup, the semifinals of the men's 50-over World Cup and now the ICC World Test Championship final. It is good to see that we have got some really strong talent coming through, becoming more consistent and we have got a chance to put our hands in the trophy. So I think the next 6 months, starting with SA20, then Champions trophy, then WTC is a big opportunity for South African cricket."
Smith also put aside and rubbished all the talks of Proteas making it to the finals by beating much lower-ranked teams like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan on their way to the title clash, saying that all matches have been played under tough conditions and Proteas truly deserves to be in the finals.
"South Africa has won 7 tests in a row in very tough conditions, they deserve to be there. And when you are holding that trophy, people can complain as much as they want but you have the opportunity to hold the trophy now," said the former South Africa great, who led Proteas in 108 Tests from 2003-14, winning 53, losing 28 and drawing 27.
The Proteas' journey to the WTC finals is a fairytale one. They started the 2023-25 WTC cycle on a shaky note with a 1-1 draw against India at home. It was followed by a second-string side led by Neil Brand touring New Zealand amid SA20 season two, for a two-Test series and losing 2-0. This series and SA's move to send a second-string, largely inexperienced side raised questions over their commitment to Tests.
But as the main players returned, the Proteas side secured series wins in away and at home against West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, winning seven Tests in a row to qualify for the finals. Besides veterans Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram and skipper Temba Bavuma, many youngsters and newcomers like Ryan Rickelton, Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch, David Bedingham have delivered quality performances.
The final against Australia takes place next year at Lord's on June 11.
