South Africa's decades of agony stemming from their shortcomings in lifting the ICC title could finally come to a sweet end in the upcoming WTC final
Photo: AFP
Australia, the defending champions, will square off against South Africa on Wednesday at the 'Home of Cricket', Lord's, for the prized WTC mace. The Baggy Greens have been deemed the on-paper favourites by fans and former cricketers across the world, citing the experience factor to play in their favour.
On the other hand, South Africa's decades of agony stemming from their shortcomings in lifting the ICC title could finally come to a sweet end in the upcoming WTC final. The Proteas stood a whisker away from ending their torment but floundered in the T20 World Cup final against India last year. With seven victories on the trot, South Africa finds itself in a position with one more shot at silverware.
After getting another shot at ending their trophy drought, South Africa has been surrounded by criticism during the build-up to the high-stakes final. Many have pointed out the fact that South Africa finished at the top and qualified for the final after playing just 12 fixtures to fight for the WTC mace.
WTC final: Details
Dates: June 11–15, 2025 (Reserve Day: June 16)
Venue: Lord’s, London
Start time: 10:30 AM Local Time, 3:00 PM IST
Full squads
South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett
Road to WTC final
South Africa
Matches: 12, Wins: 8, Losses: 3, Draws: 1, Points: 100
The Proteas went down 0-2 to New Zealand after playing out a 1-1 draw against India at home. Later, they beat West Indies 1-0 in their own backyard, after subsequently following it up victories over Bangladesh and Sri Lanka 2-0. They reached the final after a well-fought two-wicket win over Pakistan at Centurion. This win was also South Africa's seventh straight victory in the WTC 2023-25 cycle.
Australia
Matches: 19, Wins: 13, Losses: 4, Draws: 2, Points: 154
Australia began their WTC cycle on a decent note with a 2-2 draw against England, and went on to clean sweep Pakistan 3-0. Later, they played out a 1-1 draw with West Indies, thanks to Shamar Joseph's bowling exploits. They demolished New Zealand 2-0 next to host India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and winning the series 3-1. They also beat Sri Lanka 2-0 win in the subcontinent later.
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