Three reasons why South Africa can win WTC finals versus Australia

South Africa are set to play their first-ever World Test Championship Finals (WTC) starting next Wednesday. Temba Bavuma and his side beat Pakistan at home to reach the finals at the expense of India, who had lost their home series to New Zealand and away series in Australia. The challenge for South Africa will not be easy considering that Australia are the current World Test Championship holders. 

The game will be played at the home of cricket in Lord’s, as the two sides will vie for the richest prize in the red-ball format. In the last few years, South Africa have become one of the most consistent teams in the world. In 2024, they reached the T20 World Cup finals before losing to India by a close margin. 

The upcoming WTC finals will also feature two of the top three best bowling sides in the world. Despite the retirement of some of the best players in the last few years, the Proteas have rebounded well and managed to bring about some new exciting talents to the fore. 

Here are the three reasons why South Africa can win WTC finals

3- Strong all-round options

One of the key reasons why South Africa holds the edge over Australia in the WTC finals is their better all-round options. Maro Jansen and Corbin Bosch have the ability to bowl well in the lower-order. Jansen has shown that he is more than capable with the bat as he has scored three fifties in his 17 Tests so far. Corbin Bosch on the other hand has scored a fifty on his Test debut and also picked five wickets. To add more balance, Proteas also have Wiaan Mulder and Senuran Muthusamy in the line-up. Australia are handicapped with Cameron Green’s bowling while Mitchell Marsh isn’t part of the side. 

2- Better opening combinations

Australia are severely hamstrung with the retirement of David Warner and Usman Khawaja is also on in the twilight of his career. South Africa, on the other hand, have Aiden Markram, Tony De Zorzi as the opening batters. If needed, Ryan Rickelton can also do the job as the opener, and the left-handed batter has already scored a Test double ton. Considering Australia have Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood as the opening bowlers, the new ball will be important. 

1- South African pace bowling

South African skipper Temba Bavuma has been a huge revelation since taking charge. In nine games as the Test skipper, Bavuma has won eight games and made his team a strong outfit. One of the biggest strengths that South Africa have is that their team is filled with match-winners in the Test format. Pace bowling has always been South Africa’s forte, and the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi have enough pace to trouble the batters. Dane Patterson, Marco Jansen, and Corbin Bosch are also proven wicket takers with the red ball.