WTC Final 2025 Preview: Australia Eye Title Defence, South Africa Seek Historic Glory At Lord’s

London [UK]: Cricket fans are set for a thrilling showdown at Lord’s as reigning champions Australia lock horns with South Africa in the much-anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025.

For Australia, this is their second consecutive WTC final appearance, having clinched the 2023 title against India. A victory here would make them the first team to defend the WTC crown successfully, adding to captain Pat Cummins’ growing legacy, following last year’s WTC and ODI World Cup triumphs.

For South Africa, this marks their maiden WTC final, and with it, a golden opportunity to break their ICC title drought, which stretches back to their 1998 Champions Trophy (ICC KnockOut) win.

Historic Records at Lord’s:

Both sides boast impressive records at the “Home of Cricket”.

• Australia: 23 Tests – 12 wins, 2 losses, 9 draws
• South Africa (post-1991): 7 Tests – 5 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw

South Africa famously thrashed England at this venue in 2022, winning by an innings.

Route to the Final:

• South Africa: Finished 1st in WTC standings (69.44% points) with commanding wins over West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
• Australia: Finished 2nd (67.54% points), with notable results including a 2-2 Ashes draw, a 3-0 Pakistan sweep, a 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win over India, and a 2-0 away series victory in New Zealand.

Key Player Battle: Steve Smith vs Kagiso Rabada

• Smith has scored 128 runs against Rabada in 15 innings (avg. 48.85), but Rabada has dismissed him four times, conceding 16 fours and 2 sixes.
• Rabada’s stellar record at Lord’s: 13 wickets in 2 Tests at 19.38 avg, including a five-for.
• Smith thrives at Lord’s too: 525 runs in 5 Tests at 58.33 avg, with two centuries.

Captain’s Views:

Pat Cummins (Australia):

“You want to embrace the big moments… be the match-winner… don’t get overwhelmed.”

Temba Bavuma (South Africa):

Confirmed Lungi Ngidi’s inclusion for added pace and bounce over Dane Paterson.

Playing XIs:

Australia:

1. Usman Khawaja
2. Marnus Labuschagne
3. Cameron Green
4. Steve Smith
5. Travis Head
6. Beau Webster
7. Alex Carey (wk)
8. Pat Cummins (c)
9. Mitchell Starc
10. Nathan Lyon
11. Josh Hazlewood

South Africa:

1. Temba Bavuma (c)
2. Aiden Markram
3. Ryan Rickelton
4. Wiaan Mulder
5. Tristan Stubbs
6. David Bedingham
7. Kyle Verrynne
8. Marco Jansen
9. Keshav Maharaj
10. Kagiso Rabada
11. Lungi Ngidi