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England were bundled out for just 131 and thrashed by seven wickets in the first one-day international at Headingley as…

England were bundled out for just 131 and thrashed by seven wickets in the first one-day international at Headingley as…

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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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Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah star as India end their wait for another piece of silverware with a seven-run victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final.

India have got their hands on major silverware for the first time in 11 years courtesy of a seven-run victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup.

Not since the 2013 Champions Trophy have India lifted a trophy on the big stage, but that drought is over after coming through a topsy-turvy showpiece with the Proteas in Bridgetown.

Virat Kohli guided his side to 176-7 off their 20 overs but South Africa were on the brink of success when requiring 30 from as many balls, still with six wickets in hand.

However, Jasprit Bumrah produced an outrageous spell of death bowling, not necessarily taking wickets but rendering it nigh-on possible for South Africa to get him to the boundary.

Just 14 runs were scored during the following four overs, leaving South Africa requiring 16 runs from six deliveries, and they ultimately fell short by seven runs as their own chances of a first-ever World Cup trophy fell by the wayside.

Rohit Sharma falls for nine 😱 pic.twitter.com/NRGSECKMUD

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 29, 2024

India recover after poor start

Although India scored 23 runs off the opening nine balls, Keshav Maharaj removed Rohit Sharma (9) and Rishabh Pant (0) in the space of three deliveries.

Suryakumar Yadav (3) soon followed for three, yet the situation would be salvaged by Kohli and Axar Patel before the latter was run out for 47 off 31 balls.

Kohli majestically carried on, hitting six fours and two sixes during a knock of 76 from 59, with Shivam Dube making 27 from 16 deliveries at the end.

The 176-7 posted by India was the biggest ever recorded in a T20 World Cup final, highlighting the size of the task in hand for South Africa even before Reeze Hendricks (4) and Aiden Markram (4) found themselves back in the pavilion by 2.3 overs.

South Africa rallied, though, with Quinton de Kock (39), Tristan Stubbs (31) and David Miller (21) all making valuable contributions to keep their side in the contest.

Klaasen heroics upstaged by Bumrah brilliance

Heinrich Klaasen (52) was the main man, however, with his 51 from 23 balls the fastest-ever half-century in the history of the competition.

Two fours and five sixes were posted before Hardik Pandya took one of his three wickets, leaving South Africa requiring 26 from 23 balls.

What a catch from Suryakumar Yadav ðŸâ€Â¥

12 needed from 4 deliveries 😬 pic.twitter.com/TDKoNDchNe

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 29, 2024

Bumrah entering the fray soon took the game away from South Africa, with the legendary pace bowler dismissing Marco Jansen (2).

In the last over, with South Africa wanting 16, Yadav produced a spectacular catch on the boundary to send Kagiso Rabada from the crease and hand Hardik his third wicket.

Although South Africa reached a stage where they required boundaries from their last two balls for victory, the chance was blown earlier in the innings, and Markram’s side will be left rueing this missed opportunity for some time concurrently with India feeling the relief of their first World Cup trophy since 2011.

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Sports Mole previews the 2024 T20 World Cup final between South Africa and India, scheduled to be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.

After 54 matches across a month of non-stop white-ball cricket action, South Africa and India have emerged as sides that will face off in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Saturday afternoon.

The Kensington Oval in Barbados will play host to this grand spectacle, in which the Proteas will look to make history with a first-ever world title, while India have not lifted the trophy since the inaugural year of the competition, which was held in South Africa.

Match preview

© Reuters

South Africans would have been waking up for their workday around the same time that Reeza Hendricks struck the winning runs against Afghanistan, which brought an end to the side’s semi-final jinx, and kept the dream alive that the nation’s cricket team could be the latest to add to their sporting triumphs in the last few years.

It took the Proteas seven consecutive heartbreaking World Cup semi-final defeats to find the perfect performance in Tarouba on Wednesday, overcoming Afghanistan, who had already defied the odds by sending Australia packing from the competition in the Super Eight to book their first-ever appearance in the last four of a World Cup competition.

After losing the toss, Aiden Markram‘s side were asked to bowl and they were on the front foot from the very first over, when Marco Jansen dismissed the tournament’s top-scorer Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck, before clean-bowling Gulbadin Naib in his second over with just 16 runs on the board for the Blue Tigers.

However, it was not just Jansen that got the best from the surface which provided ample assistance for the bowlers, as Kagiso Rabada also bagged 2/14, Anrich Nortje took 2/7 in three overs and mystery spinner Tabraiz Shamsi mopped up the tail, finishing with 3/6 in 11 balls.

South Africa bowled their opponents out for 56 in 11.5 overs, which is now the lowest total by any team in a T20 World Cup semi-final. The victory also marked the Protea’s eighth consecutive win in the shortest format – now the joint-longest winning streak for a team at the T20 World Cup, and the first time the side have ever won eight-in-a-row in T20Is, period.

When these two cricketing giants crossed paths at the 2022 edition of this tournament in Australia, the Proteas claimed a five-wicket victory. However, the Men in Blue have historically been the more successful in this fixture, winning 14 of the previous 26 matches, while South Africa have won 11 and one ended in a no result.

© Reuters

Meanwhile, India reserved their most emphatic performance of the tournament for their semi-final showdown where they exacted their revenge on England, who beat them in the very same match in the last World Cup, thanks to a record-breaking partnership between captain Jos Buttler and Alex Hales.

However, this time around, it was the Indian skipper who played the starring role, as Rohit Sharma put together a match-winning innings despite the early loss of Virat Kohli and the in-form Rishabh Pant, who was dismissed caught-behind off Sam Curran‘s bowling for just four runs in the sixth over.

Joined by Suryakumar Yadav at the crease, the two posted a workmanlike 73-run partnership between them, before Sharma was bamboozled by a stunning googly from Adil Rashid, which saw him head back to the pavilion for 57 of 39 balls, while Yadav went shortly after with 47 from 36 balls.

Defending 171/7, the spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav did the damage, taking six wickets between them, while Jasprit Bumrah knocked over the dangerous Phil Salt and Jofra Archer late on to finish with 2/12 in 2.4 overs, as England were bowled out 68 runs short of the target.

India finished as runners-up in this competition in 2014 and in the ODI World Cup last year, but they have undoubtedly been the pick of the sides in the tournament to this point, and are the bookmakers’ unanimous favourite to win the match and lift the title in Barbados on Saturday evening.

Team News

© Reuters

In an interview last week, Rob Walter was questioned about the form of Reeza Hendricks, to which he responded by saying that the 34-year-old’s best runs were yet to come, and the opener proved the head coach right in the last match.

South Africa will only hope that Quinton de Kock can find the form he showed at the top of the order in the Super Eight when he surged into the top 10 run-scorers in the competition with back-to-back half-centuries against the USA and England.

Given the Proteas’ performance with the ball in the last match, it is likely that Markram will maintain the same lineup with two specialist spinners, which will leave no place for Ottneil Baartman in the starting 11.

Virat Kohli scored just nine runs in the last match and only 75 in the tournament, but you can never write off the two-time T20 World Cup top-scorer, who has a knack for turning up in the most important games for his country.

Arshdeep Singh ended with a rare wicketless spell in the last match and is now two scalps behind the tournament’s leading bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi, who claimed the sole wicket of De Kock in the first semi-final.

India’s lineup is likely to feature three spinners in Patel, Yadav and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, while Hardik Pandya is expected to round off the three pace options, alongside Bumrah and Singh.

South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Series so far

South Africa

Match One: South Africa won by 6 wickets
Sri Lanka 77 (19.1)
South Africa – 80/4 (16.2)

Match Two: South Africa won by 4 wickets
Netherlands – 103/9 (20)
South Africa – 106/6 (18.5)

Match Three: South Africa won by 4 runs
South Africa – 113/6 (20)
Bangladesh – 109/7 (20)

Match Four: South Africa won by 1 run
South Africa – 115/7 (20)
Nepal – 114/7 (20)

Match Five: South Africa won by 18 runs
South Africa: 194/4 (20)
USA – 176/6 (20)

Match Six: South Africa won by 7 runs
South Africa – 163/6 (20)
England – 156/6 (20)

Match Seven: South Africa won by 3 wickets (DLS method)
West Indies – 135/8 (20)
South Africa 124/7 (16.1)

Match Eight: South Africa won by 9 wickets
Afghanistan – 56 (11.5)
South Africa – 60/1 (8.5)

India

Match One: India won by 8 wickets
Ireland – 96 (16)
India – 97/2 (12.2)

Match Two: India won by 6 runs
India – 119 (19)
Pakistan – 113/7 (20)

Match Three: India won by 7 wickets
USA – 110/8 (20)
India – 111/3 (18.2)

Match Four: No Result

Match Five: India won by 47 runs
India – 181/8
Afghanistan – 134 (20)

Match Six: India won by 50 runs
India – 196/5 (20)
Bangladesh – 146/8 (20)

Match Seven: India won by 24 runs
India – 205/5 (20)
Australia – 181/7 (20)

Match Eight: India won by 68 runs
India – 171/7 (20)
England – 103 (16.4)

© PA Photos

We say: South Africa to win

South African fans dare to dream of bringing an end to years of near-misses, while India followers from around the globe are preparing to see their heroes reclaim the top honour in the shortest format of white-ball cricket.

While India have been the better side in the tournament, South Africa have found a way to earn victories, often from very trying positions. In high-stakes matches like this, the underdog tag often helps take the pressure off the side wearing it, and we feel that could be the case for the Proteas in this one.

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