WTC Final 2025 Preview: South Africa vs Australia – Red-Ball Royalty at Lord’s

googlyguide
Jun 10
2 min read

WTC 2025 Final — **Credit: Googly Guide Instagram.**

📍 Venue: Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

📅 Dates: June 11–15, 2025 | 🕘 Start Time: 3:30 PM IST / 11:00 AM BST

📺 Live on: Star Sports | Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

Match Context

Welcome to the Home of Cricket, where legends are born and legacies are sealed. South Africa and Australia lock horns in the World Test Championship Final 2025, a one-off battle for red-ball supremacy. Australia aim to defend their crown, while South Africa chase their maiden ICC title — a shot at history on cricket’s grandest Test stage.

Official Playing XIs

South Africa

Aiden Markram
Ryan Rickelton
Wiaan Mulder
Temba Bavuma (c)
Tristan Stubbs
David Bedingham
Kyle Verreynne (wk)
Marco Jansen
Keshav Maharaj
Kagiso Rabada
Lungi Ngidi

🔎 Focus: Young firepower in Stubbs, all-round balance from Mulder & Jansen, and the fierce pace trio of Rabada, Ngidi & Jansen.

Australia

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

🔎 Focus: A battle-tested top 5, versatile seam options, and the ever-reliable Nathan Lyon as the lone spinner.

Key Match-Ups

· Rabada vs Khawaja: Early breakthrough or solid foundation?

· Smith vs Jansen: Patience vs bounce and swing.

· Head vs Maharaj: Can spin put the brakes on Australia’s X-factor?

Pitch & Conditions – What’s in Store at Lord’s

Surface: Classic Lord’s – a hint of green, early seam, and later reward for spinners
Weather: Light clouds and breeze expected on Day 1 and 2 – perfect swing bowling conditions
Toss Factor: Historically, teams batting first at Lord’s in finals prefer scoreboard pressure