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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: 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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No. 1 Princeton vs. No. 3 Penn StateÂ
Saturday, April 26 | 5 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+
 
PRINCETON, N.J. –Seeking its fourth EIVA Championship title all-time, the no. 1 seeded Princeton men’s volleyball team will face no. 3 Penn State in the EIVA tournament final on Saturday. The first serve is set for 5 p.m. on the Tigers’ home court, Dillon Gym. 
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How They Got Here

• Princeton advances to the championship match after downing no. 4 George Mason, 3-1, on Thursday night in Dillon.
• Senior captains Nyherowo Omene and Henry Wedbush led the Tigers, with each setting new career-highs on the night as Omene tallied 28 kills and Wedbush made 52 assists.Â
• Omene hit 28-7-46 for .457, also adding three aces, six digs and two blocks.Â
• Mason Rice tallied 13 kills and five blocks, while Owen Mellon hit 12-3-23 for .391.Â
• Princeton claimed the EIVA regular season title last Friday with a 3-1 win over Penn State last Friday night on the road in Happy Valley.
• In the match, Ryan Vena led the Tigers defensively, making nine blocks including one solo in the match. Vena also tallied five kills for .333 hitting, two aces and two digs. For his efforts, Vena was named EIVA Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, the first weekly nod of his career.
• With the win last night, Princeton’s record improves to 15-10 on the season.Â

 
League Recognition

• The Tigers were strongly represented in the EIVA’s postseason awards, as announced on Tuesday.
• Wedbush was named the EIVA Player of the Year as the senior led Princeton this year, guiding them to one of the best defenses in the NCAA. The Tigers rank third nationally in blocks per set (2.58) and 13th in opponent hitting percentage (0.218).Â
• Wedbush made a team-high 759 assists for an average of 9.37 a set, which put him third in the league and 24th nationally.Â
• Sam Shweisky was named EIVA Coach of the Year. Shweisky, in his 16th year as Head Coach at Princeton, also received the honor in 2019 and 2010.
• Three Tigers were named to the First Team All-EIVA in Omene, Wedbush and Vena.Â
• Mason Rice was named to the Second Team All-EIVA, in his first year, while classmate Roan Alviar was named an All-EIVA Honorable Mention.Â

 
In the Rankings

• Princeton leads the EIVA in eight stat categories, among them hitting percentage (.281), points per set (15.48), and blocks (2.58/s).Â
• Nationally, the Tigers rank third in blocks, 13th in opponent hitting percentage (.221) and 23rd in hitting percentage.Â
• Omene currently leads the EIVA in four categories, including kills (4.40), aces (0.46), points per set (5.30) and hitting percentage (.334).Â
• Omene ranks third in the nation in points per set and fifth in kills per set.Â
• Wedbush ranks third in the EIVA and 24th nationally in assists per set with 9.54.
• Sophomore Tristan Whitfield currently ranks fourth in the EIVA in blocks per set with 0.96 and a total of 70 on the season, as the 2024 EIVA Freshman of the Year continues to be a defensive powerhouse for the Tigers.
• First-year Roan Alviar leads the Tigers and ranks fifth in the EIVA with 1.66 digs a set.

 
EIVA History

• Princeton is seeking its fourth title, also winning the EIVA Championship in 1998, 2019 and 2022.
• The Tigers’ 2022 title came from a 3-2 win over Penn State in University Park.Â
• This will mark Princeton’s eighth trip to the EIVA finals.Â
• The Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the EIVA preseason standings.Â
• Omene and Wedbush were named to the 2025 EIVA Players to Watch list. Both seniors were named to the All-EIVA First Team at the conclusion of last season.
• The Tigers are led by Sam Shweisky, who has coached the Tigers to 2 EIVA Championships and 6 EIVA Finals. Shweisky is in his 16th year as head coach of the Princeton men’s volleyball program, and he is assisted by Joe Norton in his second year.

 
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PRINCETON, N.J. – Led by a career-high 28 kills from Nyherowo Omene and a career-high 52 assists from Henry Wedbush, the no. 1 seeded Princeton men’s volleyball team defeated the no. 4 seeded George Mason Patriots 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 26-24) in the EIVA semifinals to advance to Saturday’s championship match.Â

Mason Rice made a team-high five blocks, with Roan Alviar making a team-high 5 digs.

How It Happened
Princeton and George Mason took off into a close race right as they entered set one, with Princeton holding onto a one-point lead after 10 points. That lead would grow into a three-point, four-point, and ultimately five-point lead as Omene tallied six kills, and Mason Rice and Owen Mellon added four apiece.Â

Keeping the momentum up, Princeton entered set two with a big kill from Rice and another big block from Ryan Vena and Wedbush helping the Tigers to a 4-1 lead. Princeton continued to maintain that lead throughout the first half of the set, but George Mason chipped away at it steadily, taking the lead at 18-19. The Tigers fought to stay in the set, but ultimately the Patriots tied the match at one, taking the set narrowly 25-23.Â

Princeton entered set three determined, taking an early lead and running as the set saw no ties and no lead changes. In a race to 25 points, Omene tallied nine kills in the set, with Wedbush making 14 assists. George Mason tried to catch up to the Tigers, but they were never able to equalize despite coming within a few points, and Princeton would regain the lead 2-1 with a set score of 25-22.Â

Looking to finish the job, the Tigers fought to take set four. Taking an early lead at 2-1, Princeton was able to build on and maintain the advantage throughout the rest of the set, fighting off six ties with George Mason but not once relinquishing the lead.Â

Omene again made nine kills in the set, this time joined by five from Mellon and four from Rice, who had 12 and 13 on the night, respectively. With the set knotted at 23-23, a kill by Omene and another kill by Rice put the Tigers at 25, needing one more to clinch the win.Â

Seniors Wedbush and Omene, leading the team as they have all season, combined for one more kill to call the set 26-24 and send Princeton through to the championship.Â

Of Note

• Princeton hit .357 on the night as a team.Â
• Omene hit 28-7-46 for a whopping .457, also adding three aces, six digs and two blocks.Â
• Mellon hit 12-3-23 for .391.Â

Up Next
Princeton will face Penn State in Saturday’s EIVA Championship Final. The first serve is set for 5 p.m. in Dillon Gym.  
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