South African pacer Kagiso Rabada dismissed criticism about the quality of opposition his team faced en route to the World Test Championship final. Rabada said South Africa deserved their place in the final after disciplined planning and hard work. South Africa defeated Australia by five wickets at Lord's on Saturday to end a 27-year wait for a major global trophy. Rabada played a key role in the victory, finishing with match figures of 9 for 110. His performance helped the Proteas lift their first ICC title since winning the Knockout Trophy in 1998.

“Cannot describe in words how I feel. Extremely happy. We have planned well and worked hard. We deserve to be here,” Rabada said after the win in an interview with former captain Graeme Smith.

Critics had earlier questioned the Proteas’ route to the final, claiming they had not beaten strong teams. Rabada strongly rejected those claims. “People said we have not faced strong opposition which is rubbish. We beat Australia. We had to be on our A game,” he said.

The match ended on Day 4 after South Africa chased down the 282-run target. The Proteas started the morning session needing 65 runs and lost three wickets along the way. Kyle Verreynne scored the winning runs off Mitchell Starc in the 84th over.

Opener Aiden Markram, who was named Player of the Match, guided the chase with a second-innings century. He scored 136 after being dismissed for a duck in the first innings.

“Have not scored more important runs,” Markram said. “Weird how things worked out after a duck in the first innings. Needed some luck and time in the middle. Glad things worked out.”

The victory at Lord’s marks a historic moment for South African cricket. The team had suffered several near misses in ICC knockout matches over the years. With their WTC triumph, the Proteas have ended a long-standing wait and proved themselves on the world stage.