South Africa stands on the brink of creating history as they look to breach the knockout jinx in a year that witnessed plenty of surprising winners across numerous sports. The last ICC trophy the Men in Green and Gold won was in 1998 when they defeated the West Indies during the inaugural Champions Trophy in Dhaka. Temba Bavuma, leading a South African side blended with youth and experience, has the opportunity to create history by getting his hands on the silverware that eluded the nation for 27 years. 

However, the road to victory is not easy, as the Aussies have been blowing hot in the format, standing in their way. The defending champions have played some fantastic matches and, unlike their upcoming opposition, fought tough battles against England, New Zealand, and India in the cycle. Although the Proteas had a much easier path to the main event, it is worth looking back at their best moments from the cycle. On that note let us look at top three wins for SA in 

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3. BAN vs SA, 2024 in Chattogram

In their last away tour during the ensuing WTC cycle, South Africa faced off against Bangladesh in a two-match Test series. After a close-fought first Test, the Proteas, in the absence of regular captain Bavuma, dominated the Asian side in the red-ball format. 

Batting first, a formidable start from Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi was followed by a couple of centuries. De Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs forged a 201-run second-wicket partnership, getting to their respective tons. The stylish left-handed batter went on to rack up 177 runs, his highest in Tests, before Wiaan Mulder made the most out of the batting haven at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury  Stadium, Chattogram. A couple of fifties from David Bedingham and Senuran Muthuswamy only added to the Bangladesh woes as the visitors piled up 575 runs for the loss of six wickets and declared.

In reply, the hosts felt the pressure of a hefty total as eight of their batters departed for single-digit scores in their first innings. Mominul Haque's 82 steered them to 159 runs before a follow-on was enforced. The pattern followed as Bangladesh were folded for 143 runs, losing by an innings and 273 runs. Kagiso Rabada picked up a fifer in Bangladesh's first innings while Keshav Maharaj's fifer and Senuran Muthuswamy's four-fer dwarfed the home side in their second innings.

2. SA vs PAK, 2025 in Centurion

Eyeing to lock their seats in the WTC final, South Africa welcomed Pakistan for a two-match Test series during Christmas of 2024. It kicked off with the Boxing Day Test at the SuperSport Park, Centurion where Pakistan batters felt the heat from Dane Paterson's consistent line and Corbin Bosch's uneven bounce. They were bundled for 211 runs before Aiden Markram's 89 and Bosch's unbridled 81 with 15 fours helped them get 301 runs.

Although Saim Ayub and Shan Masood showed grit at the start of the third innings, they failed to convert. Nevertheless, fifties from Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel propelled them to 237 runs total, but Marco Jansen's six-fer stole the spotlight in bowling-friendly conditions. While the target of 150 runs might seem easy on paper, the relatively young South African batting was not known for great batting in the fourth innings. They lost eight wickets in the process, only for Rabada and Jansen to pull them out of a precarious situation. They lost eight wickets for 99 runs before the left-handed and right-handed duo steered them home with a mix of caution and aggression.

1. SA vs IND, 2024 in Centurion

When South Africa kicked off their 2023-2025 WTC campaign, the Bavuma-led unit squared up against a robust Indian lineup that featured the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja among others. While Rahul's valiant 101 jabbed their first innings total to 245 runs, Dean Elgar's gritty 185 overshadowed the visitors, and fifties from Bedingham and Jansen only rubbed salt into injuries.

Trailing by 163 runs, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit, the openers, faltered before Shubman Gill and Kohli consolidated a brief partnership. The pace trio of Nandre Burger, Jansen, and Rabada were too hot to handle for the visiting side as Kohli stood fighting at one end with wickets falling from the other. Nine of the Indian batters perished in single-digit scores, but it was Kohli's 76 that the Indian fans relied on. However, in a team game like cricket, it was an impossible task for the stalwart to do the unthinkable without much assistance. Eventually, South Africa won by an innings and 32 runs as India was bundled for 131 runs in their second innings. This marked a strong start for South Africa, and one of the best in the ensuing WTC cycle.