Sports Mole previews the World Test Championship final clash between South Africa and Australia, including predictions and team news.
On Wednesday, our attention turns to the home of cricket, Lordâ€s, where the ICC World Test Championship final will get underway between South Africa and Australia.Â
The Proteas will be making their debut appearance in the WTC final after finishing third in the previous cycle, while the team from Down Under are the defending champions.Â
Match preview
South Africa booked their spot in this weekâ€s blockbuster final by finishing top of the World Test Championship standings, while riding the momentum of seven consecutive victories in the longest format of the game.Â
The Proteas got their WTC cycle off to a poor start, drawing at home to India and losing 2-0 to New Zealand, but they then rediscovered their rhythm, securing series victories over the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.Â
Despite finishing top of the standings, though, South Africa enter the final as underdogs, with many arguing that they benefited from a favourable schedule, having avoided the likes of Australia and England en route to the Lordâ€s showpiece.Â
Temba Bavumaâ€s side took on Zimbabwe in preparation for this match, with Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and the skipper himself all notching up half-centuries, while Kagiso Rabada looked in great shape, bowling with genuine pace and aggression.Â
For South Africa, the WTC final is about more than just winning the coveted Championship Mace or pocketing the whopping $3.6m in prize money – it is an opportunity to end their long-standing drought in menâ€s ICC events, as they have not tasted success since the ICC Knockout Trophy back in 1998.Â
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Meanwhile, the reigning WTC champions, Australia, arrive at the home of cricket to defend the title they won against India in 2023, and remain a formidable side with their core largely unchanged two years later.
Led by Pat Cummins, the Aussies clinched an impressive 3-1 series victory over India in the Border-Gavaskar trophy earlier this year and were arguably the standout team of the 2023–2025 World Test Championship cycle.
The Baggy Greens won 13 of their 19 Tests during the WTC cycle and remained unbeaten in all six series during that period, during which they faced England, Pakistan, the West Indies, New Zealand, India and Sri Lanka.Â
However, after starting their preparations in Kent, reports in the lead-up to this match claimed that the Aussies suffered a blow in their training plans, as they were denied permission to train at Lordâ€s on Saturday but were allowed access to the ground on Sunday.Â
Australia dominate the head-to-head standings against the Proteas, winning 54 of the 101 matches between the sides, including two victories in the three games played at neutral venues.Â
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Team News
Shukri Conrad will have a few selection decisions to make in his bowling lineup for this match, but one player who is almost guaranteed to feature for the Proteas with the new ball is Kagiso Rabada.Â
The right-arm quick boasts the best bowling average at Lordâ€s among all fast bowlers set to feature in the WTC final, having claimed 13 wickets at 19.38 across two Tests at the venue, and with 47 wickets at an average of 19.97 from 10 Tests in the WTC cycle, he currently holds the ICCâ€s number two ranking in the format, edging out both Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
The imposing figure of left-armer Marco Jansen has broken into the top 10 of the Test bowling rankings in recent times and could pose a serious threat to Australia’s batters with his steep bounce and sharp pace with the new ball.Â
With David Warner now retired, Andrew McDonaldâ€s biggest decision in his batting lineup will be around whether to insert 19-year-old Sam Konstas or the experienced Marnus Labuschagne at the top of the order opposite Usman Khawaja.
Khawaja leads Australiaâ€s run-scoring in the 2023-2025 WTC cycle, amassing 1,422 runs across 19 Tests at an average of 41.82, highlighted by two centuries and six fifties, including a career-best 232 in the innings victory over Sri Lanka at Galle earlier this year.
Another big call will have to be made around who will complete the Aussies’ pace attack between Scott Boland and Hazlewood in support of skipper Cummins and Mitchell Starc.Â
Hazlewood is seen as the favourite to get the nod, having bagged 57 wickets in 13 Tests during the 2023-2025 cycle, while he also led the Royal Challengers Bangaloreâ€s bowling unit in their Indian Premier League triumph last month, notching up 22 wickets in 12 games.Â
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South Africa squad:Â Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
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We say: Australia to win
While South Africa ended the 2023-2025 WTC cycle top of the standings, there were question marks around their campaign schedule, during which they sidestepped two of the ‘big three†en route to the final.Â
The last time the Proteas and the Aussies met in the longest format, the team from Down Under emerged victorious with a 2-0 series win, and we feel they will retain their WTC title at Lordâ€s this week.Â
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