Australia Favored Over South Africa in Head-to-Head Record with 54 Wins

LONDON: The highly anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final is set to commence at The Lord’s on Wednesday, featuring current champions Australia against table-toppers South Africa.

Following an exciting league stage consisting of 68 matches played among nine teams across 27 series, the competition has narrowed down to Australia and South Africa, each having taken different paths to reach this decisive match.

Road to the Final

South Africa, aiming for their first major title since their ICC Knockout victory in 1998, participated in 12 matches this season. They secured eight wins, placing them at the top of the standings with a 69.44 winning percentage.

Despite their consistent performance throughout the season, their journey to the final has faced criticism. Former England captain Michael Vaughan suggested their success was ‘on the back of beating pretty much nobody,’ given they did not compete against Australia or England.

The Proteas heavily rely on their pace attack, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada, who is returning after a previous drug test. He currently leads their wicket-taking chart with 47 wickets from 10 matches, closely followed by spinner Keshav Maharaj.

Middle-order batsman David Bedingham has been South Africa’s most productive batter in the WTC 2023-25, accumulating 645 runs in 12 matches. Captain Temba Bavuma and seasoned top-order batter Aiden Markram are also significant run-scorers, with 609 and 572 runs, respectively.

Conversely, Australia secured their spot in the WTC final by defeating Sri Lanka in Galle in February.

The defending champions engaged in 19 matches, winning 13, which included series victories against Pakistan, India, and England.

Similar to South Africa, the Kangaroos will depend on their pace bowlers, especially captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, who rank as the second and third highest wicket-takers with 73 and 72 wickets, respectively. Top-order batsman Usman Khawaja, veteran Steve Smith, and Travis Head are crucial to their batting lineup.

Rain Forecast and Reserve Day

According to the UK Met Office, weather conditions are expected to be favorable, with the opening day unlikely to be affected due to a minimal four percent chance of rain.

However, the second day might experience disruptions, with a 50 percent chance of rain in the afternoon.

Cloudy conditions are anticipated on the third day with potential scattered showers, while the probability of rain on the final two days remains low.

Although significant rain is unlikely to disrupt the Test, the ICC has designated Monday, June 16th, as a reserve day.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Australia and South Africa have clashed 101 times in Test matches. Australia holds a commanding lead with 54 wins, while South Africa has won 26 times. 21 matches ended in a draw.

Their most recent encounter was in late 2022 when South Africa toured Australia for a three-match Test series, which the hosts won convincingly 2-0, with the final match ending in a draw.

Their last Test match at The Lord’s occurred in 1912 during the fifth match of the Triangular Test tournament, which included hosts England. Australia won by 10 wickets.

  • Matches: 101
  • Australia: 54
  • South Africa: 26
  • Drawn: 21
FORM GUIDE

Both Australia and South Africa enter the final match with strong momentum, remaining unbeaten in their last five matches.

  • South Africa: W, W, W, W, W (most recent first)
  • Australia: W, W, W, W, D
Playing XIs

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood.

South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verrynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.