WTC Final: South Africa win toss and elect to bowl first against Australia
In a highly anticipated clash, South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first against Australia in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
London: In a highly anticipated clash, South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first against Australia in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final. The match is being played at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, which is hosting a WTC Final for the very first time. A reserve day on June 16 has been scheduled in case of weather interruptions over the original five days.
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South Africa Opts to Bowl First
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma cited overhead conditions for choosing to bowl first. Despite the pitch looking good for batting, Bavuma believes that early bowling conditions could favor their bowlers.
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“Will have a bowl first looking at the overhead conditions. Looks like a good pitch. Too late to change the team, we have selected the best combination. All 15 of us are confident. We all have had some allegiance to Lord’s, the emotion will hit us when the anthems start playing. It is a massive final, it should be a spectacle out here,” Bavuma said.
This marks South Africa’s first appearance in a WTC Final.
Australia Confident to Bat First
Australia, entering the contest as defending champions, are comfortable with their task of batting first. Captain Pat Cummins expressed confidence in the team’s preparation and experience.
“Preparation has been unreal. All the guys in the team are ready to go. Everyone’s come together and we have had about ten days of preparation. I don’t think there’s any extra pressure. We’ve been here before and won it. So it’s just about going out and enjoying it,” Cummins stated.
Pitch and Weather Conditions
According to pitch experts Nasser Hussain and Stuart Broad, the conditions are overcast with a steady breeze. While rain chances are minimal, cloudy skies could provide some assistance to bowlers early on. The square boundaries measure 63 meters and 67 meters, with longer straight boundaries.
Playing XIs for WTC Final 2025
Australia Playing XI:
- Usman Khawaja
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steven Smith
- Travis Head
- Cameron Green
- Beau Webster
- Alex Carey (wk)
- Pat Cummins (captain)
- Mitchell Starc
- Nathan Lyon
- Josh Hazlewood
South Africa Playing XI:
- Aiden Markram
- Ryan Rickelton
- Tristan Stubbs
- Temba Bavuma (captain)
- David Bedingham
- Kyle Verreynne (wk)
- Wiaan Mulder
- Marco Jansen
- Keshav Maharaj
- Kagiso Rabada
- Lungi Ngidi
