How Australia and South Africa reached the World Test Championship final instead of England, India and New Zealand
Defending champions Australia will face South Africa in the final of the 2023-2025 leg of the World Test Championship tournament.
South Africa is in their first final since the introduction of the league, while Australia is out to defend the crown they won after defeating India at the end of the 2021-2023 cycle.
South Africa last climbed to the summit of Test cricket when they won the mace in 2013 and come into the final with a new generation of players eager to return their side to the top of the rankings.
The Shukri Conrad-coached side will not have it easy against their traditional rivals, with whom they have been competing since 1902.
The Proteas were first to secure their place in the showpiece event, with Australia then joining them in what will be the holders’ second consecutive final.
This is how both sides made their way to the final:
How South Africa reached WTC final
Dean Elgar signed off his Test career in style. The former South Africa captain helped his side get a foothold in the Proteas’ two-match series with a match-winning century that helped them win the first Test. India rallied to win a low-scoring second Test in Cape Town to split the series 1-1.
A scheduling conflict forced South Africa to send a weak side to New Zealand. Five-wicket hauls from Dane Piedt and Neil Brand, a century from David Bedingham, and half-centuries from Bedingham and Ruan de Swardt were not enough to save the Proteas from a 2-0 series loss.
However, they made amends with a 1-0 series victory in the West Indies, Keshav Maharaj the hero with 13 wickets over the two Tests in the Caribbean.
From there, South Africa did not look back. A 2-0 series victory in Bangladesh featured a star turn from Tony de Zorzi, who scored a superb 177 in Chittagong as one of three first-time Test centurions alongside Wiaan Mulder and Tristan Stubbs, before Temba Bavuma shone in a home series win over Sri Lanka by the same scoreline. Stubbs featured in the Betway SA20, too.
They rounded out their campaign by beating Pakistan in two Tests on home soil, either side of the new year, with Ryan Rickelton shining in the second of those, scoring a double century in a 10-wicket success that clinched a top-two spot.
How Australia reached WTC final
Australia, on the other hand, kicked off the cycle with a drawn 2-2 Ashes series in England, although they would have hoped for an even better outcome after winning the first two Tests.
Australia was spurred on by Usman Khawaja’s brilliant batting. The opener scored one ton and three half-centuries for a total of 496 runs in 10 innings at an average of 49.6. Mitchell Starc led the way with a tally of 23 wickets in seven innings.
Mitch Marsh took the responsibility with the bat by racking up four half-centuries in five innings as Australia completed a 3-0 whitewash over Pakistan at home. A few weeks later, Travis Head tonked a brilliant century to help Australia over the finishing line in the first of two Tests against West Indies. Shamar Joseph bagged 7/68 in the second Test to help West Indies spring an upset over Australia in Brisbane to force a 1-1 draw.
There were a lot of moving parts in the WTC cycle, with teams jostling for a spot in the final. However, Australia kept their fate in their own hands by beating New Zealand 2-0, before heading into a five-match series against India.
Australia did not begin that series well. Jasprit Bumrah ran riot with the ball as he claimed the first Test. Australia responded with three wins in the next four Tests to take the series 3-1. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins bagged five-wicket hauls in the second Test to level the series 1-1.
The two sides settled for a draw in the third Test, before Steve Smith’s first innings century laid the foundation for a win in the fourth Test. Scott Boland delivered a bowling masterclass in the final Test at the SCG to clinch his side’s spot in the World Test Championship Final.
Australia closed out the cycle with a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka, finishing on a points percentage of 67.54, good enough for second behind South Africa’s 69.44, with previous finalists India in third on exactly 50 per cent.