WTC Final SA vs AUS Pre-Match Preview: The much-anticipated final of the ICC World Test Championship is set to take place between South Africa and Australia on 11 June 2025 (Wednesday) at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground, London. The game, which is set to begin at 3:00 PM local time, is expected to be a heated contest between two titans of cricket who have taken different paths to get to the summit match.
South Africa enters the final with a recent form of DLWDW, indicating a balanced mix of results. They drew their last game against Zimbabwe, but the match prior exposed their bowling limitations when New Zealand posted 362/6 in 50 overs to secure a 50-run victory over South Africa, who had managed 312/9. This inconsistency remains a concern despite their promising squad depth.
With a record of of LDDWL, Australia's recent performance has been less impressive. They were bowled out for 264 in 49.3 overs in their most recent match against India, who chased the score down to 267/6 in 48.1 overs. While the Aussies possess an elite bowling unit and technically sound batting, their inability to finish strongly in recent matches is something they’ll look to correct in this final.
The pitch at Lord's Cricket Ground is known for early movement and bounce, which favours fast bowlers during the first two days of a Test. Seamers are likely to extract good assistance with the new ball, while spinners could come into play as the surface wears out from Day 3 onwards. Batting becomes easier after the first session, but cloud cover can still pose problems. Toss and batting first could be an advantage in this final.
Top Batsman to Watch:
The standout batsman for this final is undoubtedly Steve Smith from Australia. Smith played 116 Test matches between 2010 and 2025, was not out 25 times, and scored an incredible 10,271 runs. His batting average of 56.74, strike rate of 53.56, and maximum score of 239 demonstrate his remarkable consistency and capacity to support lengthy innings. Smith's class in the game's longest format is undeniable with 36 centuries and 41 half-centuries.
Top Bowler to Watch:
For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada remains the key threat with the ball. Between 2015 and 2025, Rabada has played 70 Test matches, delivering 12,898 balls, conceding 7,196 runs, and taking 327 wickets. His best bowling figures of 7/112, along with a superb bowling average of 22.00, an economy of 3.34, and a strike rate of 39.44, show just how lethal he can be—especially with the new ball in English conditions. His ability to swing the ball both ways and generate awkward bounce can cause serious trouble for Australia's top order.
As of now, there are no major injury concerns reported from either squad. Both teams are expected to field their strongest available XIs unless any last-minute niggles arise on match day.
Australia (Predicted XI):
Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
Reserves: Josh Inglis, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Beau Webster
South Africa (Predicted XI):
Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Wiaan Mulder
Reserves: Ryan Rickelton, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch, Senuran Muthusamy
Also Check: How and Where to watch Australia vs South Africa live stream
The game is anticipated to be a close encounter because of the team balance and previous performance.
South Africa has shown better composure in the last five matches, but Australia's experience in pressure situations—especially with battle-hardened players like Smith, Cummins, and Lyon—makes them marginal favorites.
SA vs AUS Toss Prediction
The toss will be crucial. Both captains will likely prefer to bat first and put up a scoreboard pressure in the final. Given the pitch at Lord's offers early seam, batting first and scoring big could be a key to victory.
Today Cricket Match Winner Prediction
Predicted Winner: Australia
Win Probability: 55%
Key Factor: Australia's depth in bowling and the class of Steve Smith in big-match situations
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
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12972 |
2 |
![]() |
9999 |
3 |
![]() |
9282 |
4 |
![]() |
9276 |
5 |
![]() |
9230 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
16056 |
2 |
![]() |
13537 |
3 |
![]() |
12255 |
4 |
![]() |
11832 |
5 |
![]() |
10448 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
242 |
2 |
![]() |
221 |
3 |
![]() |
207 |
4 |
![]() |
195 |
5 |
![]() |
163 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
12 |
2 |
![]() |
8 |
3 |
![]() |
8 |
4 |
![]() |
6 |
5 |
![]() |
6 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
13906 |
2 |
![]() |
10866 |
3 |
![]() |
10480 |
4 |
![]() |
8607 |
5 |
![]() |
8113 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
9373 |
2 |
![]() |
8973 |
3 |
![]() |
7936 |
4 |
![]() |
7448 |
5 |
![]() |
7214 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
242 |
2 |
![]() |
221 |
3 |
![]() |
206 |
4 |
![]() |
152 |
5 |
![]() |
142 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
50 |
2 |
![]() |
19 |
3 |
![]() |
18 |
4 |
![]() |
15 |
5 |
![]() |
11 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
4231 |
2 |
![]() |
4223 |
3 |
![]() |
4188 |
4 |
![]() |
3911 |
5 |
![]() |
3777 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
3671 |
2 |
![]() |
3301 |
3 |
![]() |
3237 |
4 |
![]() |
3144 |
5 |
![]() |
2854 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
84 |
2 |
![]() |
82 |
3 |
![]() |
75 |
4 |
![]() |
74 |
5 |
![]() |
73 |
Rank | Player | Runs |
---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
20 |
2 |
![]() |
17 |
3 |
![]() |
16 |
4 |
![]() |
15 |
5 |
![]() |
14 |