South Africa vs Australia Match Prediction: The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final will be played from June 11 to 15 at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, featuring South Africa, led by Temba Bavuma, against defending champions Australia, captained by Pat Cummins.
South Africa topped the WTC 2023–25 points table with a 69.44% points percentage, winning 8 of 12 matches, while Australia, with a 67.54% points percentage, won 13 of 19 matches, including a series victory over India.
Both teams boast strong batting and bowling lineups, promising an exciting clash. In this article, we provide the pitch report, weather forecast, and probable playing XI. Let’s dive in.
Pitch Report: Lord’s Cricket Ground
The pitch at Lord’s is renowned for favoring fast bowlers, offering good bounce and seam movement early on, especially with the new ball, which challenges openers. As the match progresses, the surface becomes more batting-friendly, allowing settled batters to post big scores.
Spinners like Nathan Lyon and Keshav Maharaj find turn and grip in the middle overs, particularly from days 3 to 5. The average first-innings score at Lord’s in Tests since 2020 is around 290, with teams bowling first often gaining an edge due to early swing.
In the last Test at Lord’s in September 2024, England’s Joe Root scored a century, but Sri Lanka struggled against pace, highlighting the pitch’s dual nature. The team winning the toss is likely to bowl first to exploit early conditions.
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Weather Forecast: June 11–15, 2025
The weather in London for the WTC final looks promising for cricket. On June 11, expect pleasantly warm conditions with a high of 25°C, partly sunny skies, and a low 8% chance of rain, ensuring uninterrupted play.
Temperatures across the five days (June 11–15) will range between 15°C and 25°C, with moderate humidity and east-southeast winds at 15 km/h, gusting up to 32 km/h, potentially aiding swing bowling.
Day 2 may see increased cloud cover and a slightly higher chance of rain (up to 45% per some forecasts), but no major disruptions are expected.
A reserve day on June 16 is available to compensate for any lost playing time due to rain, as seen in the 2021 WTC final when rain washed out Day 1.
Predicted Playing XI for Both Teams
- South Africa XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
- Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
South Africa vs Australia Match Prediction
Predicting the WTC 2025 final winner is challenging, but Australia holds a slight edge due to their experience at Lord’s, where they have an impressive record, winning 7 of 12 Ashes Tests since 1980 and remaining unbeaten in their last three Tests there since 2009.
Players like Steve Smith (average 59.50 at Lord’s), Marnus Labuschagne, and Travis Head (both averaging in the 40s at the venue) bolster their batting, while Josh Hazlewood (13 wickets at 26.15) and Pat Cummins (10 wickets at 21.10) lead a potent pace attack.
South Africa, in their first WTC final, carry momentum from seven consecutive Test wins, driven by Kagiso Rabada’s 47 wickets at 19.97 in this cycle and Tony de Zorzi’s consistent top-order form.
Their 2-0 win at Lord’s in 2022 against England shows their potential, but Australia’s experience and depth make them slight favourites to defend their title, likely by a narrow margin if weather permits a full match.
