The WTC Final between Australia and South Africa promises a thrilling contest. Australia aims to defend their title and make history, while South Africa seeks to end their 27-year ICC title drought.
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Much-anticipated WTC Final
South Africa and Australia will take on each other in the much-anticipated World Test Championship 2025 Final at Lord’s on June 11. Two sides will face off in a final in the history of the ICC tournaments.
South Africa qualified for the final as the table toppers with 8 wins, 3 losses and a draw in 12 Tests. The Temba Bavuma-led side booked their berth for the WTC title clash after defeating Pakistan in the opening Test of the two-match series in December last year. Australia, on the other hand, finished second on the points table with 13 wins, 4 losses, and 2 draws in 19 matches. The Pat Cummins-led side sealed their WTC final for the second consecutive time after defeating India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Let’s take a look at why the WTC final between South Africa and Australia promises to be a thrilling battle.
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1. Australia eye history
Australia are the reigning champions of the World Test Championship, defeating Team India in the 2023 edition. New Zealand were the first winners of the WTC in 2021. However, no team has successfully defended their WTC yet. The Pat Cummins-led side will be aiming to script history to become the first team to win back-to-back WTC titles, cementing their dominance in the longest format of the game. Moreover, if Australia win their second consecutive WTC title, they could become the second team to clinch two or more titles in three different ICC tournaments, joining India, who have achieved the feat in the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy.
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2. South Africa aim to break 27-year ICC title drought
South Africa will be desperate to end their long-standing drought in the upcoming World Test Championship Final. The last time Proteas clinched an ICC title was at the 1998 Champions Trophy, defeating West Indies in the final. Since then, they could not win an ICC title. South Africa had a chance of winning their second ICC title at the T20 World Cup last year, but lost to India in the final. A win in the WTC final would only mark their maiden triumph in the tournament, but also bring much-needed redemption for the team who have been often labelled as ‘chokers’ in the global tournaments.
Australia and South Africa boast world-class pace batteries. Australia have skipper Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, while South Africa have Kagiso Rabada, Lingi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen. These fearsome fast bowlers are capable of exploiting any conditions, especially in England, where the Dukes ball assists both swing and seam movements. With Australia and South Africa expected to depend on their pace arsenals, the World Test Championship is likely to be a thrilling battle between bat and ball that could go down to the wire.
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4. Battle of tactical captains
Pat Cummins and Temba Bavuma are both tactical captains for Australia and South Africa. Both are calm and astute leaders who have captained the sides with their cool-headed mind and tactical brilliance. . The mind games, field placements, and bowling changes could define the flow of the final. The World Test Championship Final is expected to be a high stakes battle of wits between two contrasting styles of captaincy styles, where one smart move or bold decision could tilt the contest in favour of either side. It remains to be seen who could lead their teams culminating their WTC campaign with the title win.
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5. Star players in sublime form
Australia and South Africa will be heading into the World Test Championship Final with several key players in their sublime form. For Australia, Steve Smith, Usman Marnus Labuschagne, and Travis Head are the mainstays in their batting line-up, with Head evolving into a game-changer with his aggressive approach, while Smith, Khawaja, and Labuschange have been consistent run-machines for the side. South Africa, on the other hand, will rely on Aiden Markram’s resurgence, Temba Bavuma’s composure, and the all-round brilliance of Marco Jansen. With proven match-winners on both sides, the WTC final is expected to be lit up at Lord’s.
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