Preview:
South Africa (SA) and Australia (AUS) are set to lock horns in the final of the third edition of the World Test Championship. The match will be played from June 11 to 15 at Lords Cricket Ground. South Africa, who won their last ICC title in 1998 in the form Champions Trophy, will be looking to end 27-year to lift another in the form of WTC. Meanwhile, defending champions Australia will aim to win back-to-back Test championship titles. The Aussies had a great outing in the ICC events from the last few years where they ended up winning the 2021 T20 World Cup, 2023 World Test Championship and the 2023 ODI World Cup.
On the other hand, South Africa have also been impressive in their last few ICC tournaments. They reached the semi-final of the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Apart from that, the Proteas also finished as the runners-up in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Notably, both South Africa and Australia will face each other in a Test match after more than two years. Let’s have a look at fantasy cricket tips, pitch report, probable XIs, captain, vice captain and more ahead of the South Africa versus Australia WTC final clash.
SA vs AUS Match Details
|
Match |
World Test Championship Final |
|
Teams |
South Africa vs Australia |
|
Venue |
Lords Cricket Ground, London |
|
Time |
3:00 PM (IST) |
SA vs AUS Head-to-Head Stats & Records
Australia have a dominant record over South Africa in the Test format over the years. However, there has been some tough red-ball contests between both nations in the last few years. Both South Africa and Australia have faced each other in 101 Test matches so far where the Aussies ended up winning 54 times while the Proteas come out victorious on 26 occasions. Apart from that, 21 Test matches also ended in a draw between South Africa and Australia.
|
Matches played |
101 |
|
South Africa won |
26 |
|
Australia won |
54 |
|
Drawn |
21 |
SA vs AUS Pitch Report
The iconic Lords Cricket Ground has produced several thrilling contests across the formats over the years. It provides an equal balance for both the batters and the ballers. However, due to the weather conditions in England, the pace bowlers might gets extra swing with the new ball. Total 147 Test matches have been played at Lords so far. In these matches, the team batting first won 53 times while the chasing side came out victorious on 43 occasions. The average score at thai ground in the first innings is around 310 runs.
SA vs AUS Probable Playing XIs
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verrynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, and Lungi Ngidi.
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon
SA vs AUS WTC Final Full squads
South Africa: 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: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster. Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett
SA vs AUS WTC 2025 Final: Top Captaincy and Vice-Captaincy Picks
Steve Smith
Last five Test Matches
|
Runs |
HS |
Avg |
100s |
|
567 |
141 |
70.87 |
4 |
Records in ICC Finals
2009 T20 World Cup: 1(2), 1/21
2015 ODI World Cup: 56*(71)
2021 T20 World Cup: DNB
2023 WTC Final: 121(268), 34(47)
2023 ODI World Cup: 4(9)
Josh Hazlewood
Last five Test matches
|
Wickets |
Best Figures |
5 wicket hauls |
|
21 |
5/31 |
1 |
Records in ICC Finals
2015 ODI World Cup: 0/30
2021 T20 World Cup: 3/16
2023 ODI World Cup: 2/60
SA vs AUS WTC 2025 Final: Top Players to pick
Steve Smith: Star Australian batter Steve Smith has been a key performer for Australia in major ICC events over the years. He scored a match-winning 121 runs in the previous WTC final against India guiding Australia to a massive win. He has been in great touch in his last five Test matches amassing 567 runs with an average of over 70 with three hundreds.
Temba Bavuma: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma is yet to lose a Test match in his tenure and has been a great touch with the bat in his last few Test innings. Talking about his last five Test matches, Bavuma has amassed 508 runs at an average of 56.44 hitting two hundreds and three fifties.
Josh Hazlewood: Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has been a star performer for Australia in the last few years, especially in the Test format. The right-arm pacer missed the last edition of the WTC final but can turn out to be a key performer in the upcoming clash. Hazlewood has taken 21 wickets in the last five Test matches he played and scalped 57 wickets in the ongoing WTC cycle.
Marco Jansen: Marco Jansen can turn out to be a key performer for South Africa in a big WTC final against Australia. He has been in great touch in the red-ball format from the last few months and has been a constant wicket-taker.
SA vs AUS WTC 2025 Final: Players to avoid
Brendan Doggett: Brendan Doggett is the newest addition in the Australia Test squad and is yet to play any international game for the Aussies. He is unlikely to get a chance in Australia’s playing XI in a crucial WTC final.
SA vs AUS WTC 2025 Final Fantasy Team 1 (Grand League)
Wicketkeepers: Josh Inglis, Ryan Rickelton
Batters: Steve Smith (captain), Travis Head, Temba Bavuma (vice-captain), Aiden Markram
All-Rounders: Marco Jansen
Bowlers: Mitchell Starc, Kagiso Rabada, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins
SA vs AUS WTC 2025 Final Fantasy Team 2 (Head-To-Head)
Wicketkeepers: Josh Inglis
Batters: Steve Smith, Temba Bavuma (captain), Aiden Markram, Marnus Labuschagne
All-Rounders: Marco Jansen
Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Josh Hazlewood (vice-captain), Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Keshav Maharaj
Disclaimer: The fantasy tips and facts expressed within this article are the author's personal opinions. They do not reflect the views of SportsTiger. It is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
Also Read: WTC 2025 Final, South Africa vs Australia Match Prediction: Who will win today's Match?
