South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has announced the Proteas XI for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia starting on Wednesday, 11 June at Lord’s.
The first ball is due to be bowled at 11:30 (SA time).
Bavuma headlines a well-rounded line-up that offers the first-time WTC finalists multiple options in all departments of the game.
Headlining the batting order is Ryan Rickelton, who has been South Africa’s top-scorer in the WTC 2023/25 cycle, alongside Bavuma – not too far behind in the scoring charts, Aiden Markram, and Tristan Stubbs.
South Africa
Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (captain), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verrynne (wkt), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
‘Confidence’
A notable decision is to stick with Wiaan Mulder at No 3 after he was used at that position during South Africa’s recent Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
“Mulder is quite young in that position. But I think having played with Mulder, having seen him and the way he has grown in the last two years within the red-ball format,” Bavuma said.
“It’s about giving him a lot more confidence, keep backing him and just allowing him to do what he does best.
“He has an opportunity in a pressure situation, but I think he can take comfort from the fact that the guys are backing him. We just want him to play his game.”
Lone spinner
While Keshav Maharaj is the solitary full-time spinner, the bowling line-up also features Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen alongside Lungi Ngidi.
While the Proteas squad also featured Dane Paterson, who had been in fine form during their last Test series against Pakistan, Bavuma explained the reasoning behind opting for Ngidi.
“Probably one of the tougher decisions that has been made. We see what Dane Paterson did for us to the end of last season,” Bavuma added.
“But it was more from a tactical point of view. Probably a little bit more pace from Lungi, guess he’s a bit taller as well.
“Lungi also has a better record, not taking away anything from Patto. He (Ngidi) has the experience, he’s played here before, not that Patto hasn’t.
“But I think he (Ngidi) will complement that bowling attack a little more. We have a guy like Mulder, who can give us something similar like Patto.
“It was probably one of the difficult decision we had to make.”
South Africa topped the ICC World Test Championship 2023/25 standings to book their ticket in the Ultimate Test, closely followed by the defending champions.
Will Temba Bavuma and his Proteas team triumph?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
