South Africa would be eyeing to win their first ever major ICC tournament. The Proteas are all set to clash against the mighty Aussies on 11th June at iconic Lord’s. There has been a lot of buzz for the final given Temba Bavuma‘s unit reached the final against all odds.
South Africa’s arsenal is their pace attack who can rip apart the Aussie batting line up. The fast bowling duo of Kagiso Rabada & Lungi Ngidi can be ruthless given sheer pace and precision. The last time Australia & South Africa played a Test match, was in 2023 in Australia.
Shukri Conrad opens up on the selection of players for final
Shukri Conrad was seen having an interaction with the media. Conrad pointed out that Anrich Nortje is yet to recover from the finger injury. Nortje played a solitary game against PBKS in IPL 2025 for KKR. Conrad stated the reason for the the inclusion of Corbin Bosch over Gerald Coetzee given Bosch can contribute with the bat as well.
“With regards to Anrich (Nortje), it didn’t really pan out the way we had hoped. He was due to play in the Centurion Test match against Pakistan and then sustained the broken toe and I don’t think he’s in any position, really, to be playing the Test match,” said Shukri Conrad.
“With regards to Gerald, he’s making his way back as well from injury and I just felt that with what Corbin had done for us in the series against Pakistan, that he provides really good cover. When I say cover, he might still make the starting XI,” he stated.
“Corbin’s not lacking in pace, so I don’t we compromised too much pace in that respect. I’m really happy what Corbin offers us and brings really good balance to our side as well. And that’s ultimately what we were after – balance,” he added.
Shukri Conrad heaps praies on David Bedingham
Shukri Conrad revealed that the side would use Tony de Zorzi smartly while opening or at No.3 position. Conrad was quite optimistic that David Bedingham’s county stinty with Durham would help him & the side. Conrad was quite confident that Bedingham can give a tough fight to Australian pacers while batting in middle order.
“Whether Tony slots in at No.3, whether he slots in the middle order, conditions will determine all of that,” said Shukri Conrad.
“Bedders is pretty much ready to go. And if there is such a thing as a good break, it was a good, clean break. Durham were keen to play him in the next county match. Again, our medical staff have been in conversation with them as to whether we feel that’s the right thing, but Bedders has been hitting balls,” he stated.
“Bedders is best when fresh. His form has been a little bit up and down, but I still think he’s a key guy in our line-up, especially with the type of cricket he plays, and especially against a side like Australia. When Bedders plays well, he’s the perfect guy to take on a side like Australia,” he added.
SA squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, and Kyle Verreynne
Huge final for South Africa
The most underrated player and also a crucial player for the Proteas in the final will be Keshav Maharaj. The surface at Lord’s tends to spin as the game progresses on Day 3 and Day 4. Keshav Maharaj had taken 40 wickets in 8 matches in the ICC WTC 2023-25 cycle and was a silent assassin, given that the bulk of wicket-taking was done by pacers.
Temba Bavuma would be tested, given that a lot of cricket experts aren’t able to digest given South Africa reached the WTC final. The absence of Nortje can somewhat hurt South Africa, given his raw pace could have been vital to rattle Aussie batters. The side has been quite fearless and intrepid, and now it’s time for South Africa to peak at the ultimate time as the world will remember for ages if they defeat the Aussies in the WTC final.