South Africa vs Australia: WTC Final Preview

South Africa is all set to face Australia in their first ICC World Test Championship Final. The big match will take place on June 11 at the famous Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. Before the exciting game, South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, has announced the Playing XI from the squad.

Meet the Batting Line-up

Bavuma leads a well-balanced team. The squad has versatile options for all parts of the game.

Top Run-Scorers

Ryan Rickelton is the top run-scorer for South Africa in the 2023-25 WTC cycle. Bavuma himself is not far behind. Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs are also key run-getters.

Wiaan Mulder’s New Role

All-rounder Wiaan Mulder has been moved up in the batting order to number 3.

Bavuma shared his thoughts on this decision: “Mulder is quite young in that position. But he has grown a lot in the last two years in red-ball cricket. We want to give him confidence and back him up. We believe he can handle pressure situations. We just want him to play his natural game.”

Key Bowlers in the Team

Keshav Maharaj is the only specialist spinner in the team. The pace attack includes Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi.

The squad also has Dane Paterson, who did well in the last Test series against Pakistan. But Ngidi was chosen over him for the Playing XI. Bavuma explained why:

“This was one of the tougher decisions we had to make. Dane Paterson did great for us last season. But we needed a bit more pace from Lungi. He is taller and has a better record. Ngidi also has more experience and has played here before. It was a difficult choice, but we went with Lungi.”

South Africa Playing XI

• Temba Bavuma (captain)
• Aiden Markram
• Ryan Rickelton
• Wiaan Mulder
• Tristan Stubbs
• David Bedingham
• Kyle Verrynne
• Marco Jansen
• Keshav Maharaj
• Kagiso Rabada
• Lungi Ngidi

South Africa Squad

• Aiden Markram
• Tony de Zorzi
• Ryan Rickelton
• Tristan Stubbs
• Temba Bavuma (captain)
• David Bedingham
• Kyle Verreynne
• Marco Jansen
• Keshav Maharaj
• Kagiso Rabada
• Dane Paterson
• Senuran Muthusamy
• Wiaan Mulder
• Lungi Ngidi
• Corbin Bosch