When it comes to the main cricket finals, Australia is in a league of its own.
Only Australia won all four global trophy. It is difficult to defeat the finals, winning 10 of 13 throughout the 50-over World Cup, 20-over World Cup, Champions trophy, and World Test Championship. And let’s not start with the women’s team, which is more dominant.
The Men Go for World Title No. 11 from Wednesday (June 11, 2025) to the WTC Final against South Africa in the Neutral Lord.
The ruthless focus that brings Australia to the largest stages is in contrast to South Africa, a lasting underachiever. Proteas only won a major title, the champions trophy in 1998, if most of the current proteas were infants.
An experienced squad – average age 29 1/2 – pays a bond that cannot be enderestimated, a decision to have the back of each other.
That often appeared in the 2023-25 WTC cycle as the Proteas, which used 30 players, more than any other team, found a run-scorer or wicket-taker at the right time. They won their last seven trials and first qualified for the final.
“We have not been so dominant in our performances,” South African captain Temba Bavuma said when the team qualified in December. “We are definitely not clinical or ruthless when calling the opportunity or the situation. But I think what we have done we have found ways to make sure the result is on our side.”
Who will open Khawaja?
Australia was a veteran team when it won the 2023 Final by crushing India by 209 running over the oval. Ten of those 11 were back. Only David Warner was missing, retiring from trials.
Medium-pace bowler Josh Hazlewood was injured and did not play, but he hoped to replace one of the 2023 stars, Scott Bolaland. Hazlewood overcame a shoulder injury to lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a first Indian Premier League title last week with 22 wickets in 12 innings.
Warner’s permanent replacement to the opener was still not fixed. Sam Konstas made a violent debut at the age of 19 in December against India, but Travis Head was preferred in Sri Lanka in February. They seem to be the main candidates.
Marnus Labuschagne has just opened once since 2016, and his form has dropped to the point of recall. He only averaged 28.33 in the WTC cycle and attempts last month to spark form on glamorgan in the second tier of the English County Championship fell.
In the same division, Allrounder Cameron Green scored three hundred -for Gloucestershire in a comeback from the lower operation of the spine that had slapped him for six months. But he wasn’t ready to bowl.
It may not be important. Australia has four top 10 all-time top wicket-takers in Nathan Lyon (553, third), Mitchell StarC (382, fourth), captain Pat Cummins (294, eighth), and Hazlewood (279, 10th).
Star Batter Steve Smith has been 36 last week and has not played the top flight since March, such as Constas, opener Usman Khawaja, Lyon, Boland, and Wicketkeeper Alex Carey. But they are entrusted to knowing to move when it counts.
Smith had four hundred -in his last five trials, and passed a 10,000 career run, almost as much as South Africa. In the Lord’s average he is 58.
“In the Lord’s, there is always the kind of thing going on,” he said on Monday.
“There’s always something going for bowlers, especially if the clouds roll. And then when the clouds come out, it can be really good to bathe. It’s a cool game that plays here in England. I enjoy the kind of intricacies of what you need to do in some time. If you need to tighten things or get more aggressive. It should be a happy week.”
Rabada is ready to roll
Anyone who opens with Khawaja is likely to immediately deal with the scary South Africa Pacer Kagiso Rabada. Khawaja will have the whole hand. He fell on the rabada five times in 10 matches.
Rabada, with 327 wickets, is three away from tying Allan Donald for the fourth place on the Full Time list of South Africa. Rabada will have a left -wing company Marco Jansen, who took 29 wickets in six rounds of cycle.
The third seamer is either lungi ngidi, which is one of the eight South Africa on the IPL, or Dane Paterson, who has been snacking the ball around for Middlesex in the county division two.
South Africa confirmed Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton as openers and captain Bavuma in No. 4. They also played IPL.
The batter of middle-order David Bedingham, South Africa’s leading scorer, has been proven in a heating game against Zimbabwe that he recovered from a broken toe that was preserved in April.
How do they qualify?
The finalists did not meet this cycle. Their last series was in January 2023, when Australia won 2-0 at home and was led.
South Africa also did not play England. It led the stance with eight wins from 12 trials despite the removal of a series in New Zealand to focus on the domestic twenty20 leagues.
Australia also did not play the last place Bangladesh. Of the 13 wins in 19 trials, Australia reached the final by beating India in January. It has only been lost at home twice.
History of the Lord
Lord, the home of cricket, has no demons for both teams.
South Africa has just lost there with seven post-apartheid trials. The final appearance resulted in a success in the owner within three days of 2022.
Australia has not lost the Lord for 10 years ……
