ICC World Test Championship Final 2025: How they qualified
South Africa will make their first appearance in the ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord's when they take on reigning champions Australia.
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 they did it:
South Africa break new ground
South Africa hit the ground running with an innings victory over India at Centurion in December 2023, although they ended up splitting the series as India won a low-scoring second Test in Cape Town.
Following a 2-0 series defeat in New Zealand, the Proteas' hopes were helped by 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.
They rounded out their campaign by beating Pakistan in two Tests on home soil either side of the new year, Ryan Rickelton shining in the second of those with a double century in a 10-wicket success that clinched a top-two spot.
Australia back to defend their crown
The reigning champions 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.
A 3-0 whitewash against Pakistan was followed by a 1-1 draw at home to the West Indies, Shamar Joseph taking seven for 68 in the second innings in Brisbane as the Windies prevailed by eight runs and won a Test in Australia for the first time since 1997.
By beating the BLACKCAPS 2-0 in New Zealand, Australia kept their fate in their own hands ahead of a five-Test series against India.
A defeat in Perth piled on the pressure but Australia responded with three wins in the next four Tests to take the series 3-1, Scott Boland delivering a masterclass in the final Test at the SCG to clinch his side's spot in the World Test Championship Final.
They 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 percent.
ENDS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Cricket Council
an hour ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Date, inductee count revealed for big ICC Hall of Fame event
The event, starting at 4:30 PM BST, will also feature South Africa captain Temba Bavuma and Australia skipper Pat Cummins as they preview the highly anticipated World Test Championship Final. Where to watch the ICC Hall of Fame ceremony? The event will be broadcast live by JioHotstar in India, Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, Amazon Prime Video in Australia, SuperSport in Sub Saharan Africa, Sky TV in New Zealand, Ten Sports and PTV in Pakistan, TV1 MTV (delayed) in Sri Lanka, Criclife and Starzplay in the MENA region, ESPN in the Caribbean, Willow in the USA and Canada, Ariana TV in Afghanistan and Hub Sports 4 in Singapore. It will be available on in the rest of the world. Speaking about the occasion, ICC Chairman Mr Jay Shah said: 'Inducting legends into the ICC Hall of Fame is our way of honouring the game's most extraordinary contributors. This accolade is reserved exclusively for those whose achievements have left an indelible mark on the sport, and each selection is made purely on merit.' 'I am confident that fans across the globe will be thrilled to witness this special occasion, as we prepare to welcome seven new inductees into cricket's most distinguished honour roll. With the event serving as the curtain-raiser to the ICC World Test Championship Final, there is much to celebrate and anticipate.'
Int'l Cricket Council
3 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Jansen reveals Ponting's parting IPL gift ahead of WTC Final
Jansen said Ponting had instilled great confidence in his bowling since he joined up with the Kings earlier this year and he is planning to use that newfound belief when the Proteas take on Australia in the one-off Ultimate Test. "Before I left (India), he (Ponting) just said 'good luck, I hope you do well, but I hope you lose'," Jansen told ICC Digital from Arundel on Tuesday after the opening day of South Africa's warm-up match against Zimbabwe was washed out due to persistent rain. "I learnt a lot from him, especially from a mental point of view. He is always positive and he always sees the good stuff instead of the bad stuff, if it makes sense. "And I think that's why he's a legend of the game, because you always lean towards what could happen instead of what could go wrong. For me personally in the IPL, he's helped a lot in that regard, because he always reminds you what could be, what you can do and what could happen instead of what couldn't happen."
Int'l Cricket Council
5 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
South Africa pick five uncapped players for Zimbabwe Tests
The two-match Test series will take place at Queen Sports Club, Bulawayo, from 28 June to 10 July. The series will be South Africa's first outing after the World Test Championship Final 2025. Bavuma will continue as captain, which sees several Test team regulars like Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs rested. In their place, Lhuan-dré Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Codi Yusuf, Dewald Brevis and Prenelan Subrayen find a place. All the players are yet to make their Test debut, while this is a maiden call-up for Pretorius, Senokwane and Yusuf. Lhuan-dré Pretorius is the rising teen sensation of South African cricket. He had a breakout season in the CSA 4-Day Series, scoring three centuries and finishing with an impressive average of 72.66. Joining him as another exciting prospect is Lesego Senokwane, who also amassed 559 runs in the first-class competition, including three hundreds. Both players recently made their South Africa 'A ' debuts in the series against West Indies A, signaling their rapid rise through the ranks. Dewald Brevis: South Africa's next-gen | ICC U19 Men's CWC 2022 Codi Yusuf is an exciting pace prospect, who picked 23 wickets in the 4-Day Series, at an average of 22.39. Subrayen and Brevis are uncapped at the Test level but have travelled with the side before. Subrayen was on full fire against West Indies 'A' in a recent first-class fixture, picking up a five-wicket haul and scoring 64 runs in an innings win for South Africa 'A'. Brevis has impressed ever since having made his mark at the U19 level, and was the second-highest run-getter in the domestic first-class level this past season. Ryan Rickelton primed for Lord's decider | WTC25 Final The South Africa batter is full of confidence and ready to put his best foot forward in the one-off Test against Australia at Lord's South Africa Test Squad against Zimbabwe Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dré Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne and Codi Yusuf. Fixtures 28 June-02 July, First Test, Bulawayo 06-10 July, Second Test, Bulawayo NewsMen's NewsSouth Africa
