WTC Final: South Africa hope to play Ireland or Afghanistan to prepare for Australia title clash

South Africa secured their spot in the 2023-25 World Test Championship final after a thrilling victory against Pakistan in Centurion. This win marked their qualification as the first team to reach the WTC Final.

They continued their winning momentum with a second victory in Cape Town, completing a 2-0 series sweep. This extended their winning streak to seven matches, their second-longest ever, just shy of their nine-match run between 2002-2003.

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In the current WTC cycle, South Africa boasts an impressive record of eight wins from twelve matches. The Cape Town victory was particularly significant for captain Temba Bavuma, who achieved the milestone of eight Test wins, becoming the joint second-fastest captain to reach this feat.



With no further Test matches scheduled before the final, South Africa's coach, Shukri Conrad, has outlined their preparation plans. They aim to acclimatise to English conditions with a one-off Test in the UK against either Afghanistan or Ireland.

Conrad explained their strategy on SuperSport: "We're going to try and get a Test match, possibly in the UK, against Ireland or Afghanistan, whoever is free. And if unsuccessful, we'll obviously go out a couple of days earlier, and make sure we camp there really well, probably in Canterbury."

Neither Afghanistan nor Ireland participated in the current WTC cycle. Afghanistan recently achieved a historic 1-0 series victory against Zimbabwe, while Ireland's last Test match was in July, a victory against Zimbabwe.



Australia joined South Africa in the WTC final after a resounding victory against India in Sydney. This win also secured a 3-1 series triumph for Australia, their first Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in a decade.

Australia have one series, comprising two Tests, remaining against Sri Lanka in the island nation.

This WTC final will be the first without India's participation. They reached the final in the previous two editions, finishing runners-up in both.

Rabada: 'We know how to beat Australia'

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South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has expressed confidence in his team's ability to defeat defending champions Australia in the final. Rabada, South Africa's leading wicket-taker in the WTC with 151 wickets at an average of 22.27, shared his thoughts on the upcoming clash.

“It's actually quite some distance away, but a big occasion like the World Test Championship final gets you up for it.”

“South Africa versus Australia has always been an intense rivalry, because we play cricket quite similar. We play hard - and they're going to come hard at us, and we know that. But we also know how to beat them.”

He added: "One hundred per cent, Test cricket is still alive. It's our best format that we've been playing right now. When you look at South African cricket and all our legends, they've all been great Test cricketers. The world's best players are Test cricketers, and this series against Pakistan has been a wonderful advertisement for Test cricket, especially in South Africa."