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Key Points

South Africa chose to bowl first in their debut WTC Final against defending champions Australia at Lord's. Captain Temba Bavuma cited overhead conditions while Pat Cummins expressed confidence batting first. The historic match marks Lord's first time hosting cricket's ultimate Test showdown. Cloudy skies and a light breeze set the stage for a gripping contest between cricket's elite.

Key Points: South Africa Bowl First Against Australia in WTC Final at Lord's

  • South Africa opt to bowl first in maiden WTC Final appearance
  • Australia defend title with unchanged winning formula
  • Lord's hosts historic WTC decider with reserve day
  • Cloudy conditions influence Bavuma's toss decision
2 min read

WTC Final: South Africa win toss and elect to bowl first against Australia

South Africa elect to bowl in WTC Final vs Australia at Lord's as Bavuma cites overhead conditions while Cummins backs batting first.

"Will have a bowl first looking at the overhead conditions. Looks like a good pitch. – Temba Bavuma"

London, June 11

South Africa have won the toss and elected to bowl against Australia in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on Wednesday. This will be the first time that the iconic Lord’s will be hosting a World Test Championship Final. There is also a reserve day in place on June 16, provided time is lost due to inclement weather in original five days.

Australia come in as reigning champions, while South Africa are in this title clash for the first time. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said the pitch looks good, but overhead conditions have dictated his decision to bowl first.

“Will have a bowl first looking at the overhead conditions. Looks like a good pitch. Too late to change the team, we have selected the best combination. “All 15 of us are confident. We all have had some allegiance to Lord's, the emotion will hit us when the anthems stat playing. It is a massive final, it should be a spectacle out here,” he said.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins said he was happy to bat first in a big championship final. "Preparation has been unreal. All the guys in the team are ready to go. Everyone's come together and we have had about ten days of preparation. I don't think there's any extra pressure. We've been here before and won it. So it's just about going out and enjoying it," he said.

A pitch report by Nasser Hussain and Stuart Broad said conditions on ground are cloudy out here with a breeze blowing and very slight chance of rain looming around. The square boundaries are 63m and 67m respectively, with longer straight boundaries in place.

Playing XIs

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Josh Hazlewood

South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, and Lungi Ngidi

- IANS

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Reader Comments

Here are 5 diverse Indian perspective comments for the WTC Final article:
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Rahul K.
Interesting toss decision by SA! Overcast conditions at Lord's could help their pace attack early on. But Australia's batting lineup is so strong - Smith and Labuschagne will be tough to dislodge. Wish India was playing though! 🇮🇳 #WTCFinal
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Priya M.
As a cricket fan, I'm just happy to see South Africa in the final after so many heartbreaks in ICC tournaments. Rabada vs Smith will be the battle to watch! Hope Bavuma leads them well. The pitch report suggests it might swing early - good call to bowl first.
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Arjun S.
Australia's experience in big finals gives them the edge. Their bowling attack is lethal - Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood together can destroy any batting lineup. But credit to SA for reaching the final - hope they put up a good fight! 🏏
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Sunita R.
The real winner here is Test cricket! So good to see the longest format getting this kind of attention. Hope the match lives up to the hype. Though I must say, ICC should consider having more than one venue for WTC finals - always in England gives them advantage.
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Vikram J.
Exciting match-up! But honestly, the timing is terrible for Indian viewers - starts at 3pm IST when most are at work. ICC should think about global audiences when scheduling these matches. That said, will definitely catch the highlights package tonight!

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