SA vs AUS, WTC Final 2025: What to expect from the ultimate battle for Test supremacy?

South Africa and Australia clash in the World Test Championship Final at Lord's on June 11. Here's what we can expect from the battle for Test supremacy between the two sides at an iconic stadium.

Battle for Test supremacy

South Africa and Australia are set to square off in the much-anticipated World Test Championship 2025 Final (WTC) at iconic Lord’s cricket ground on June 11. Both teams began their preparations for the title clash, with the Proteas playing their warm-up match against Zimbabwe.

South Africa are set to play their first WTC final and the first final at an ICC tournament since the T20 World Cup last year. Australia are the defending champion of the tournament as they won their maiden title after defeating India in the 2023 final. As South Africa and Australia gear up for the battle for Test supremacy, let’s take a look at what to expect from the Lord’s showdown

Pace battle on fast pitch

Australia and South Africa boast formidable fast-bowling line-ups. The Lord’s pitch is traditionally a surface that offers seam movement and bounce, making it an ideal battleground for quality pacers. Since the Lord’s surface is green and grass-covered pitch, the ball movement off the seam is pronounced, providing early assistance to the fast bowlers, making it challenging for the batters, especially in the initial overs.

With the Lord’s pitch expected to be pace-friendly, the fast bowlers from both teams will look to take advantage of the surface by exploiting extra bounce and seam movement to put pressure on batters early on in the innings. Australia have the likes of skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Scott Boland in the pace bowling unit, while South Africa have Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi, all capable of generating bouncing, steep bounce and sharp movement, setting the stage for a thrilling pace battle under challenging conditions at Lord’s.

Clash of tactical captaincy

Australia captain Pat Cummins and South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma are tactical leaders in their way. However, their tactical acumen will be tested during the WTC Final at Lord’s, where conditions can change rapidly, demanding sharp fielding placements, bowling changes, and bold decisions under pressure, especially in the final two days of the match. Cummins has showcased an impressive tactical captaincy record, leading the team to the WTC title in 2023. He led Australia in six Tests in England, winning three, including the WTC final against India.

Temba Bavuma, on the other hand, led South Africa in nine Tests so far, winning eight and drawing one, and will be leading the Proteas in England for the first time as their captain, making this a crucial opportunity to prove his captaincy credentials in challenging conditions against a strong Australian side. The upcoming WTC final is not just a battle between South Africa and Australia, but also whose tactical sense and leadership under pressure will prevail on one of cricket’s grandest stages.

Gritty batting from both teams

As Lord’s pitch is expected to favour fast bowlers, the batters from both sides will need to showcase their immense patience, grit, and technical discipline, whether to storm early and lay a solid foundation. The resilience of the top-order batters will be crucial, especially during the first session, when seam and bounce can pose serious challenges at Lord’s. Australia are expected to rely on key batters, including Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, and Marnus Labuschagne, to anchor the innings. Among the Australian batters, Smith has a great record at Lord’s, amassing 525 runs, including 2 centuries at an average of 58 in 5 matches.

On the other hand, South Africa are likely to count on Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, and David Bedingham to blunt the new ball and build momentum. In such testing conditions, a determined half-century is equivalent to scoring a century, and partnerships will prove crucial in shaping the match. In the upcoming WTC Final, the team that shows greater application and resilience with the bat is likely to gain a significant edge, as survival and solidity in challenging conditions.

Redemption and legacy at stake

One of the things to be expected from the upcoming World Test Championship is the intense battle for redemption and legacy, as Australia and South Africa will look to cement their place as ultimate Test champions. As the defending champions of the WTC, Australia will look to retain their mace and become the first team in the history of the tournament to win back-to-back titles, and continue their dominance in the longest format of the game.

South Africa, on the other hand, will aim to overcome their past disappointments in ICC knockouts and etch their name on the prestigious mace for the first time. The Proteas have not won an ICC title since winning the Champions Trophy (formerly called the ICC Knockout) in 1998 and this WTC Final presents a golden opportunity for them to rewrite history.