After the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025th edition is over, the focus is now shifted to the biggest trophy in test cricket, the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025. This is the third final of the ICC World Test Championship, with the first two being won by New Zealand (NZ) and Australia (AUS) in 2021 and 2023, respectively. Now, the defending champions, Australia and a team that is playing its first WTC final, South Africa, will lock horns in the ICC WTC 2025 Final. Today, we will preview the South Africa vs Australia ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final. In this preview, we will look at the strengths and weaknesses of both teams, their expected playing XI, head-to-head record, pitch and weather report, key players to watch out for, and much more. So without wasting any time, let’s delve into it.
South Africa vs Australia Preview: ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final
South Africa (SA) and Australia (AUS) are set to take on each other in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final, starting on June 11, 2025. Lord’s, London, will host the all-important final. There is a reserve day on June 16, 2025, in case if there are any rain interruptions or any unforeseen circumstances. If you want more information on ICC WTC 2025 Final, like where to watch (broadcasting and live streaming details), what the prize money is for the winners and the runners-up, and more, you can check all the details HERE.
South Africa’s Road to the WTC 2025 Final
South Africa played against India (IND), Sri Lanka (SL), and Pakistan (PAK) at home, and against New Zealand (NZ), West Indies (WI), and Bangladesh (BAN) away from home in the WTC 2-23-25 cycle. All the series were of two matches, and SA won four, lost one, and drew one series.
SA won 2-0 against SL, PAK, and BAN, and 1-0 against WI. They hosted IND at home, and the series ended 1-1. The Proteas lost an away series against NZ when they played with a less experienced side due to the main players’ IPL commitments.
Australia’s Road to the WTC 2025 Final
The Australians started the WTC 2023-25 cycle against England (ENG) in the Ashes. The series ended 2-2 with one game ending in a draw. Then, they played against Pakistan (PAK) and the West Indies (WI) at home. PAK lost the series 3-0 (clean sweep) and WI has managed to win one game at Brisbane (that famous game where Shamar Joseph won the game for WI). The AUS-WI series ended with 1-1 before Australia won the two-match test series by 2-0 against New Zealand (NZ) in New Zealand.
AUS won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 by 3-1 and ended their ten-year drought of winning a test series against India. It was enough for Australia to seal the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final spot. They ended the cycle with a 2-0 win against Sri Lanka (SL) at their home.
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Australia and South Africa Squads for the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025
Australia
Australia has announced a 15-member squad with one travelling reserve in Brendan Doggett. Most of the squad consists of the players who played in the BGT 2024-25, considering the conditions in England.
Squad: 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
South Africa
South Africa’s squad is a bit inexperienced in terms of matches played, but there are a few experienced players like captain Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, and Lungi Ngidi. They will miss the services of Anrich Nortje, who did not take CSA’s (Cricket South Africa) central contract. Gerald Coetzee will also not feature in the Proteas WTC Final 2025 squad. Their 15-member squad is:
Squad: 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.
Strengths and Weaknesses of SA and AUS
Australia
Australia’s strength lies in its bowling. Their bowling has been top-notch over the years, with Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Scott Boland in the squad. They also have a world-class spinner, Nathan Lyon, to complement the fast bowlers. The Aussies will also have to choose maybe only three out of their above-mentioned four pacers in the playing XI. It’s a good headache to have.
Another strength for Australia is that they know how to cope in a pressure situation. The Aussies have a history of winning the most ICC trophies, and they know how to control their nerves at a big stage. They have been there and done it before as well. They are also the current WTC champions (as of May 28, 2025).
A slight weakness in Australia is their batting. Their opener, Usman Khawaja, has not been scoring runs consistently for a while. On the other hand, Sam Konstas is new to the international scene. Marnus Labuschagne has also struggled to score big runs lately. Steve Smith has found his mojo back during the BGT 2024-25. Travis Head is the only batter who has scored runs lately, and that too at a higher strike rate.
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South Africa
South Africa’s strength also lies in its bowling. Despite not having Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, and Nandre Burger, they have enough bowling resources in the squad who can trouble Australia’s batting line-up. Obviously the three bowlers we have mentioned are a big miss, but they have the likes of KG Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi who can exploit the conditions to a good effect.
South Africa’s weakness is that they are relatively inexperienced compared to Australia. Whether it is in bowling or batting, in both aspects, Australia has players who have played more international games than the Proteas players. Also, SA has a history of losing crucial games, on a big stage, in the ICC tournaments. They will look to erase that ‘C’ word from the minds of cricket fans this time around.
Expected Playing XIs in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final
Australia
Australia’s playing XI is more or less the same as it was in the BGT 2024-25. The batting line-up has picked itself up, and Green can come in as an all-round option. Starc, Cummins, and Lyon are likely members of the squad. The only problem for AUS is to choose between Boland and Hazelwood. Hazlewood has recently complained of a shoulder niggle and calf injury during the IPL 2025. If he does not get fully fit, Boland might be a better option, who is equally good in those conditions.
Ricky Ponting wanted Marnus Labuschagne to open the innings with Usman Khawaja. But, the Australian team management and the captain did not give a hint on who might be opening in the ICC WTC 2025 Final. Pat Cummins has confirmed that Steve Smith will bat at No. 4.
Playing XI (announced): Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Beau Webster, Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
South Africa
South Africa’s playing XI, as we said earlier, is a bit inexperienced. An experienced batter like Aiden Markram is short of big runs in test cricket for a while. Ryan Rickelton has done well in the home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, scoring 101 and 259 respectively. He is also in good touch during the IPL 2025. Rabada, Jansen, and Maharaj are the obvious starters in the playing XI.
SA’s surprise package could be Wiaan Mulder. He batted at No. 3 in the practice game against Zimbabwe at Arundel. The all-rounder might take that No. 3 spot, with Bavuma and Stubbs down the order. Bedingham has shown promise, which means Tony de Zorzi could miss out of the playing XI. Mulder can give extra bowling options to the team. Ngidi looks like a starter in the XI. We will keep updating you regarding the playing XI here whenever there is a new update.
Announced XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
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South Africa vs Australia Head-to-Head (In Test Cricket):-
As of now, SA and AUS have played 101 tests against each other. Australia has an upper hand with 54 wins. SA has managed to win 26 tests, while 21 tests ended in a draw. Since 1992 (SA’s participation again in international cricket), the two teams have played 48 tests against each other. Australia has 25 test wins, while South Africa has 15 test wins out of those 48 games. Eight games ended in a draw.
| Matches Played | AUS Won | SA Won | Draw |
| 101 | 54 | 26 | 21 |
Pitch and Weather Report
The Lord’s Cricket Ground pitch is regarded as good for bowling. Typically, early in the game, the pitch helps quick bowlers. Fast bowlers might extract movement in the initial overs. As the game goes on, spinners may gain grip and turn It can be difficult for batters in the first overs due to the conditions, particularly when there is cloud cover.
According to worldweatheronline.com, there are some patchy rains expected on June 12, 13, and 14. We will keep updating you on the latest pitch and weather report.
Australia’s Key Players To Watch Out For
Travis Head
Travis Head, the way he is playing in the last few years, you can put your fingers on him and say that he could be one of those key players to watch out for in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final. He has scored runs at big stages, for example, in the ICC WTC 2023 Final and in the ICC ODI WC 2023 Final. He can take the game away from the opposition in just one session. If SA manages to take his wicket early, the run flow can be stopped.
Steve Smith
Steve Smith has the knack of scoring runs in the knockouts of the ICC trophies. He has done well in the ICC Trophies quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. How can we forget that gritty hundred in the ICC WTC 2023 final? He puts a high price tag on his wicket.
Pat Cummins
Not just Pat Cummins, in fact, the whole of Australia’s bowling line-up is lethal. But as far as Pat Cummins is concerned, he could be crucial in breaking the partnerships and bowling with a tight line and length. If he leads from the front, there might be a different energy in the whole Australian team.
South Africa’s Key Players To Watch Out For
Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada is an important player for SA in the ICC WTC 2025 final. He is experienced and has the ability to run through the opposition batting line-up with his pace, swing, and seam. If he found his rhythm in the game, he would make the Aussie batters’ lives difficult. He has also done well against Australia in the past, in test cricket.
Marco Jansen
Marco Jansen brings variety to the SA’s bowling line-up, just like Starc in Australia with his left-arm. Jansen has the height and can generate extra bounce in those conditions that are generally conducive for the fast bowlers. Not just with the bowl, he can contribute some crucial runs with the bat lower down the order.
Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram
With SA’s batting a bit inexperienced, Bavuma and Markram are the two players who have been in the team for a while. They have played against Australia before as well. So if SA has to win the game, they have put enough runs on the board so that their bowlers can bowl with freedom. The onus will be on these two experienced batters to hold the team’s batting line-up in the crucial WTC 2025 final.
Key Battles in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final
Aiden Markram vs Mitchell Starc
Aiden Markram has a good record against Mitchell Starc in tests, as of now. He has scored 82 runs in 112 balls against the left-arm pacer and got out just once. He has a strike rate of 73.2 against Starc. Starc, with the new ball, will be crucial for Australia. If he manages to take some early wickets, the Aussies will put the Proteas under pressure straight away.
On the other hand, Markram will look to continue his good run against Starc and wants to dominate him at the beginning of the inning. If he manages to go past the new ball spell, it will be good for the other SA batters.
Kagiso Rabada vs Steve Smith
KG Rabada has decent numbers against Steve Smith in tests. As of now, he has bowled 262 balls to Smith and gotten him out four times. Smith has also scored 128 runs against KG, with an average of 32. It will be an interesting battle to see, as we have seen these two getting on each other in the past. Remember that 2018 test series where KG’s shoulder hit Smith, and then CSA fights on to relieve KG’s ban for the next game.
Sam Konstas vs SA’s New Ball Bowlers
Sam Konstas came in as a surprise in the BGT 2024-25. It is like a two-way sword. As we saw the glimpses, Konstas will not hold back from playing his shots even against the new ball. If he scores some quick runs, SA will be under pressure straight away, but it will also give the SA bowlers a chance to pick up an early wicket. This battle is something that I think we all cricket fans are excited to see.
Which Team is Looking Strong?
See, as of now, Australia are looking far better than South Africa. They have enough experience to play on big stages and win it. If you want to play safe, you can say that AUS are going to lift their 2nd ICC WTC title. But cricket is a funny game. And the finals are something that are a game of nerves. Obviously AUS have the ability to respond better under pressure, but if SA can hold their nerves better, they can also surprise world cricket.
SA are looking for its first ICC title since 1998. They will give their all to make this happen. On a given day, anyone can beat anyone. As of now, the Aussies are looking stronger, but don’t underestimate the Proteas.
