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The recent form of both the teams is over the moon for them. They did excellent in the 2023-25 season to make it into the finals of WTC 2025. Australia are coming into this match after a series win against Sri Lanka and Indian. Those two series were away series as well which Australia dominated out of their comfort zone and home soil. South Africa did similar to that, defeating Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh in away games on their way to the finals. Australia have four wins in the last five while South Africa have five wins in the last five matches.
The Australian team is in excellent form heading into the final. They have defeated top teams like Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. Usman Khawaja has been the leading run-scorer, while Travis Head has maintained his consistency scoring a century in the last WTC final as well.
In the bowling department, the trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon has taken plenty of wickets together. Josh Hazlewood has also returned and is performing well. With no shortage of experience and strong leadership under Cummins, Australia boasts match-winners at every position. They are strong contenders to defend their title in this final.
South Africa has made a remarkable comeback this time. Though they faced early setbacks against India and New Zealand, they bounced back by winning seven consecutive Test matches. They earned their place in the final by defeating West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
The strength of this team lies in its bowling attack. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen can be lethal in English conditions. In the batting line-up, Bavuma, Bedingham, and Rickelton are in good form, while wicketkeeper Verreynne has also scored centuries recently. This is not the same South African team that crumbled under pressure in the past. This time, their intent is different. Now the big question is—will history be rewritten, or will the old story repeat itself?
Australia vs South Africa head to head in Tests reflects the dominance of the Aussies in red-ball cricket. Australia and South Africa have played a total of 101 matches against each other in Test history. Being the most dominant Test force, Australia have won 54 matches against South Africa in total, which is a big number because South Africa have only 26 wins against Australia. There are 21 drawn matches between these two sides.
The Lord’s pitch is considered to be balanced for Test matches. The first two days are quite good for batting—the ball comes on well and it is easy to score runs.
From the third day onwards, the pitch starts to slow down, and spinners begin to come into play. Chasing in the fourth innings becomes a bit tough as the pitch starts to produce uneven bounce.
Out of a total of 147 Test matches held here, the team batting first has won 53 times, while the team batting second has won 43 times. 51 matches have been drawn. The average first-innings score is 310, while in the fourth innings, it drops to just 157. So, the team winning the toss will likely prefer to bat first.
Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Injury Update: None
Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (C), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreyne (wk), Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson
Injury Updates: None
Steven Smith is a Test legend for Australia, and his presence in the team is one of the biggest positives. He has scored 10,271 Test runs in 116 matches at an average of 57. He has the second-most hundreds for Australia after Ricky Ponting. Steven Smith is in sublime form recently, having scored four hundreds in his last 10 Test innings. Three of those centuries were scores of more than 130 runs. He is one of the greatest Test players Australia has ever produced. Steven Smith is also the leading run-scorer against South Africa, with 854 runs in 21 innings and a best of 104 not out. Smith just has to give respect to Kagiso Rabada in this match to score at his best.
Markram has shown great form in the IPL 2025 and his comeback in the Test matches is a story to tell in itself. He has slightly on and off form in the Test matches. He has played solid innings of 89 and 37 against Pakistan. However his form against Sri Lanka was better than Pakistan where he scored 55 and 47 runs. He can be very useful in this match for South Africa as he has an average of 60.00 against Australia as well in tests.
Hazlewood has always made an impact in Test cricket with his tight line and disciplined bowling. Against India, he took 5 wickets in one match and 2 wickets in the second innings. Against the West Indies, he also delivered deadly spells like 5 for 38. His economy rate is almost always around 2. His line and length can be trusted in Test matches—he maintains pressure and takes big wickets without giving away many runs.
When Rabada is in rhythm, it becomes difficult for any batsman to face him. Against England, he once took 7 wickets and 5 wickets in another match. His pace and bounce make him dangerous. Against India, his impact was limited in some innings, but when he gets support from the pitch, he can change the entire flow of the match. In Test cricket, his wicket-taking ability always makes him a major threat.
Australia are very strong in the Test matches. They are the defending champions in WTC. They defeated India in the last final in 2023. This will be their second back-to-back final in WTC. Australia’s current form is in its peak and they will love the conditions of Lord’s London. Australia has better head-to-head and better venue experience. Australia are expected to win this Final match against South Africa.
Disclaimer: CricOpinion provides predictions based on analysis, understanding, and intuition. Refer to records and stats before making decisions. You are not bound to follow these predictions. CricOpinion is not responsible for any losses, damages, or consequences resulting from the use of this information.
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