Truth behind fiery South African star’s Head trolling as social post comes back to bite Aussie

It was the moment South Africa had wanted for over a fortnight and a pivotal piece of the winning jigsaw on the deciding day.

And Marco Jansen was not going to let Travis Head wander back to the pavilion after catching him in the slips from a superb delivery from Kagiso Rabada that saw Australia slump to 3 for 22 in pursuit of a target of 288 runs.

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As Head turned for the long walk back to the Australian rooms, with a generous crowd at Newlands celebrating with glee, Jansen broke into a celebration that was a direct copy of the Aussie star when enjoying moments of glee.

Now the world’s No.1 ranked bowler and a supreme all-rounder in the world’s top-ranked Test team, the big left-hander let rip with the celebrations, with his arms thrusting up and down in glee.

“He’s my idol, so I was just trying to mimic him,” Jansen, who was named the man of the series, said on Saturday night.

“Like, when we were batting, we obviously just saw how he celebrated, and that just sort of happens. It just happened.”

There is a backstory to the moment, for it would be fair to say the South African team noted a social media post Head delivered on the night the Australians won the opening Test of the series by 214-runs in Durban which made light of Temba Bavuma.

The South African skipper led the Proteas resurgence with a stunning century in Gqeberha and the South Africans are celebrating a famous triumph under their captain that saw them overtake the Australians in the Test rankings.

Bavuma acknowledged he had been made aware of the post and said that it prompted some mirth among his teammates, but was diplomatic when asked if it had provided any additional motivation.

“Not me personally, to be honest. I heard about it. I didn’t see the video,” he said.

“I guess the guys ripped me off as they always do in the changing room. I think it just spoke to the intensity, I guess, and the importance of the series. It’s a part of the story, right, if I put it that way.

“But I don’t think it added any other extra motivation. The motivation, desire, was always there to achieve what we’ve done.”

There were moments of spice during the series, which included Mitchell Starc’s prolonged chat with Wiaan Mulder after he backed away twice in succession when the fast bowler was steaming in on Day 4 of the Test.

But Australian skipper Pat Cummins said it did not go overboard and was planning on joining the Proteas for a beer and a chat after the match. During the post-match handshakes, several lingered for a decent period of time as the combatants spoke.

“I thought it was really good out there, actually,” he said.

“There was some good passion and, you know, some fired up bowlers at times, but it was good. It was what you’d expect in Test cricket. So I thought the whole series was played in brilliant spirit.

“I actually think the fans (during) our whole trip here have actually been awesome. We’ve been really well looked after and crowds have been great and very civil, so it’s been a great trip.”

Bavuma, meanwhile, was delighted by the success of the Proteas, which are in the box seat to qualify for next year’s World Test Championship final once again after their heroics at Lord’s against Australia in June, 2025.

Under his captaincy they have snared that title as well as a home series success against Australia and a triumph on the road in India, which vindicates their status as the new No.1 ranked team.

“I think it was an enthralling 15 days of cricket,” he said.

“I think to go from 10 months of no Test cricket to something like that, I think that will be remembered as one of the iconic Test series, at least in this century. I’d like to believe two quality sides came up against each other and really forced each other to play their best cricket.

“We obviously have a couple of a couple of weeks until our next series against Bangladesh, but I think it’ll take us a couple of days to kind of get off our high as a team. I think it’ll be important for us to acknowledge what we’ve achieved, celebrate whatever milestones, take whatever learnings that come with it. But I think really basking what we’ve achieved, right?

“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 people performed, it’s given that belief, and I guess in a cheeky way, is an answer to certain critics saying that what we did at the WTC was a fluke. The sky is the limit for the team.”