WTC Final Live: Australia face South Africa in a battle for Test supremacy

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

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wkt), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

The third WTC Final pits two teams with very different histories.

Australia — serial winners with depth and pedigree.

South Africa — talented, hungry, but historically haunted.

For Bavuma’s men, this is a chance to create their own identity, free of the past.

For Cummins’ crew, it’s about retaining supremacy and capping off another dominant stretch in red-ball cricket.

The match begins today at the iconic Lord’s, a fitting stage for cricket’s ultimate test. With both sides stacked with pace firepower, unsettled top-orders, and a world title at stake, the WTC Final promises high drama, history — and perhaps redemption.

The WTC’s credibility continues to be questioned due to its uneven scheduling and geopolitical complications.

Wisden dubbed it a “shambles masquerading as a showpiece,” pointing to the disparity in matches played — South Africa with 12 Tests, England with 22.

Yet, Cummins and others maintain that the mace remains a coveted symbol.

“You’ve got to win in all conditions to get here. If we can retain that mace, that’s a pretty awesome thing,” said the Australian skipper.

Despite the flaws, the WTC Final has grown in stature, representing a new peak in the Test calendar — one that both teams are desperate to summit.

Josh Hazlewood returns to Australia’s playing XI at the expense of the unlucky Scott Boland, despite the latter’s heroics in the previous WTC cycle. Boland took 10 wickets in the last Test against India but misses out having never played at Lord’s.

Hazlewood, on the other hand, has a stellar record at the venue and adds experience to the pace attack.

Cummins sympathised with Boland’s omission, saying, “There are some guys where you genuinely say, you’ve done nothing wrong.”

All-rounder Beau Webster has been included to offer support overs as Green is not fully fit to bowl, further showcasing Australia’s flexible planning.

Marnus Labuschagne, typically Australia’s number three, has been elevated to open the innings in a bold move from Pat Cummins.

The Aussies have struggled to replace David Warner, with several candidates including Steve Smith, Nathan McSweeney, and teenager Sam Konstas failing to nail down the role.

Labuschagne, who hasn’t scored a Test century in nearly two years, will now partner Usman Khawaja.

Cameron Green returns at number three, with Cummins believing his form and composure suit the slot best. The shuffle reflects both Australia's instability up top and a strategic attempt to shore up the middle order with Smith and Head.

The Proteas have gambled by slotting Wiaan Mulder in at number three, a role he has barely occupied in his Test career. Mulder, who only recently began delivering with the bat down the order, faces a baptism by fire against the Australian attack.

Bavuma admitted that the 27-year-old was still growing in the red-ball format but said the team was backing him to embrace the challenge.

“It is about giving him a lot more confidence and allowing him to do what he does best,” the skipper said. Mulder's performance could be pivotal, particularly if South Africa lose early wickets against Cummins and Starc.

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma believes the final could be decided by the strength — or lack thereof — in the batting departments. He highlighted Australia’s reshuffling at the top, particularly the promotion of Marnus Labuschagne to opener, as a potential area to exploit.

“The real opportunity is within the two batting line-ups and how they are able to front up,” said Bavuma.

With both sides boasting fearsome bowling attacks, it may well be the less experienced, less settled batting units that tip the scales.

For South Africa, success might lie in early wickets and exposing Australia’s untested combinations in English conditions.

South Africa coach Shukri Conrad believes this current side deserves to be judged on its own merit, not through the prism of past failures.

"It's unfair to burden this group with anything that's gone before," he said, brushing off the choker narrative. He sees the WTC Final as an opportunity, not a haunting.

South Africa sealed their spot by winning six straight Tests, despite fielding a weakened side in New Zealand.

Conrad has also been vocal in defending the Proteas' WTC journey, countering criticism that they benefitted from an imbalanced format by pointing out that teams they defeated — like West Indies and New Zealand — had themselves humbled the likes of Australia and India.

South Africa return to the summit of world cricket with a burning desire to shed their long-standing label of “chokers.”

Despite possessing generational talents over the decades, the Proteas have failed to convert their potential into trophies, with their only ICC silverware coming 27 years ago in the 1998 KnockOut Trophy.

Their most recent heartbreak came in the T20 World Cup final last year, where a collapse saw them lose to India despite needing just 30 runs off 30 balls with six wickets in hand.

Now, under the calm leadership of Temba Bavuma and coach Shukri Conrad, they enter the WTC Final at Lord’s not just chasing victory, but validation.