India, June 15 -- After years of falling short at or right before the final hurdle, South Africa finally made that final step that leads to silverware. It has been an albatross hanging around the South African team's neck, with an inability to convert deep tournament runs into championship titles. Things changed as Aiden Markram and skipper Temba Bavuma guided a 282-run chase at Lord's, to establish themselves as national heroes in their homeland.

Beyond battling against Australia's strong team and winning mentality to achieve the victory, South Africa had to overcome this mental burden of their own - and one which the Aussies made a point of pressuring on the pitch in their interactions with the Proteas. Bavuma confirmed as much in his ...