Temba Bavuma toasts Proteas' victory in 'iconic' Test series against Australia

The home team completed an epic comeback in the three-match series, beating the tourists by 176 runs at Newlands on Saturday in a game that ebbed and flowed throughout the five days.

Bavuma now joins Faf du Plessis as the only South African captain to beat Australia in a home Test series since readmission, while the series win also saw the Proteas go to number one in the Test rankings for the first time in a decade.

"I think this will be remembered as one of the iconic Test series, at least in this century, I'd like to believe," Bavuma said. "Two quality sides who came up against each other and really forced each other to play their best cricket.

"It'll be important for us to acknowledge what we've achieved, really bask in what we've achieved. I think for me, it's really soaking all of it in. I think coming into this series, we were tested from all angles every day. We were under pressure.

"If I think before the series against Australia, if we were given the favourite tag, I'm not too sure about that. But I do hope with the way that we perform, not the result, but the way that we performed, it's given that belief.

"And I guess in a cheeky way, we answered certain critics, saying that, you know, what we did at the WTC final was no fluke. So, yeah, sky's the limit for the team."

What would please Bavuma and the Proteas management is how they managed to turn the series around after being outplayed in the series opener in Durban.

Bavuma led the comeback charge in Gqeberha in the second Test, before the finale in Cape Town delivered an absorbing five days of Test cricket that would have tested the mental strength of both sides, with the home skipper describing the series as "15 days of just pressure".

"You wake up every day asking yourself to be at your best," he said. "Physically, there's times where you feel like you can't go at 100 per cent, but you need to dig deep, and if the opportunity's there, make sure you're in the best mental space to make the play for the team.

"Even if things don't go well for you with the ball or the bat, you still need to be looking at ways as to how you can contribute within the team. There were two quality sides who came up against each other, and really forced each other to play their best cricket.

"It will be important for us to acknowledge what we've achieved, celebrate whatever milestones, take whatever learnings that come with it, and really bask in what we've achieved. In the two-and-a-half years, if you look at the team, we've been able to squeeze out every inch of every individual."

Bavuma believes "the sky is the limit" for the Proteas as they celebrate the epic victory against their great rivals before turning their attention to a two-match home Test series against Bangladesh that starts on 15 November at the Wanderers.

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