ABD's 'Best Advice' To SA For WTC Final: 'Respect Bowlers... 1st Over Or 67th'
Last Updated:
AB de Villiers wants South African batters to respect all bowlers at Lord's in the WTC final against Australia.
As South Africa prepares to face Australia in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final, former South African batsman AB de Villiers has advised the Proteas batters to respect all bowlers at Lord's, regardless of the stage of the match.
South Africa will make their debut in a World Test Championship final during the one-off match against Australia from 7-11 June. Although South Africa has played 18 Tests at Lord's, their record comprises six wins, eight losses, and four draws.
'Lord's is a tricky ground to play at. You've got the ball moving around more than most grounds in the world for a longer period of time. You're never in, and that's probably my best advice to the batters, to sort of respect the bowlers, whether it's the first over or the 67th over. You're never in, so just respect the game."
'Lord's, you generally want to be a bit fuller as a seam bowler and try and get the best out of the conditions. There's always a bit of seam movement for the seam bowlers. So I would probably urge my bowlers to bowl full and straight for as long as possible," said de Villiers on Star Sports.
Led by Temba Bavuma, the South African team finished at the top of the 2023-25 WTC standings with seven consecutive victories against the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, achieving a 69.44 points percentage.
Lord's will be the third venue in England to host the WTC final, after the Rose Bowl in Southampton (2021) and The Oval in London (2023). A reserve day, 12 June, is available to make up for any lost playing time during the scheduled five days.
First Published:
June 08, 2025, 17:11 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
13 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Pat Cummins mocked with a cheeky dig by English TV presenter ahead of WTC Final: ‘Do you ever get anyone out?'
Australia captain Pat Cummins appears to be in a bit of relaxed mode as he gears up for the World Test Championship Final against South Africa in England. The Australian skipper recently wrapped up his stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL before heading to England for the high-stakes WTC final. After reaching there, Cummins got involved in some off-field commitments. Recently, he shot a fun segment with famous English TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson and other TV personalities Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland. A video of Prime Video went viral, showing Cummins playing cricket with the other three ahead of the WTC final in London. At the start of the video, Cummins gets hit for a few shots, which causes Clarksen to take a shot at him. "Do you ever get anyone out?" he said. A post shared by Prime Video Sport AUNZ (@primevideosportaunz) However, he didn't age well for Cooper, who was batting at the moment, as Cummins got the better of him and cleaned him up on the very next delivery. Cooper shouted at Clarksen and said, "Why did you do that?" Cummins will lead the Australian team in their second successive WTC final. He led them to the title win in the last edition after the win over India. Meanwhile, South Africa will be playing their maiden WTC final after they topped the standings of the third edition of the ICC tournament. Cummins showered praise on the Proteas and believes the Temba Bavuma-led side has multiple match-winners in their midst to pose a challenge. "They always seem to compete in every tournament. They have got a lot of experience, especially the white-ball teams - they play across different franchise leagues. Rabada, Maharaj, Bavuma, they have played a lot of cricket over the years," said the Aussie skipper. "They have really good fast bowlers, they always seem to have not just one or two main guys but they have got four-six guys they can call," he said. The Aussie captain asserted that there is a bit of mystique when they face South Africa, as they haven't played much against them as compared to India. "And yeah, some batters, you have not seen much (of them), but they have scored plenty of domestic runs. (We have) played most of the guys in the squad, certainly not everyone. There is always a little bit of mystique around South Africa, because we do not play them as often as, say India," he concluded.
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
WTC Final: ‘We've Buried the Past,' says Aiden Markram as South Africa dream big ahead of Lord's encounter
Aiden Markram (Photo by) South African batsman Aiden Markram expressed confidence that his team will overcome past tournament failures when they face Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord's on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters at Lord's on Sunday, Markram addressed concerns about previous defeats, including last year's T20 World Cup final loss to India in Barbados. South Africa's previous heartbreak in the T20 World Cup final saw them fall short despite needing just 30 runs from 30 balls with six wickets in hand against India. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Markram, who captained the T20 team and is one of five players from that match in the current WTC final squad, believes the Test team under Temba Bavuma 's leadership will approach this challenge differently. "This team is a bit different. The few of us that have been a part of previous events that didn't go our way have dealt with it, have obviously chatted to each other and made sure we've buried it nicely and taken some good lessons from it. But besides from that now, it's more about the excitement of having another opportunity to actually do the job. So that's pretty much where the mind is at the moment." Bombay Sport Exchange Ep. 6: Harish Thawani on cricket's TV market and the watershed moments As an opener, Markram will face Australia's formidable bowling attack, while South Africa counters with their own impressive pace attack led by Kagiso Rabada . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mix 4 Kitchen Ingredients, Wake Up Thinner Every Morning Health Now Undo "When you're opening the batting, obviously your responsibility is to get the team off to a good start and get us ahead of the game. So that's the challenge, that's what excites us. But when you're preparing against your bowlers, who are world-class, it can only help you as a batter, as uncomfortable as it can be at times." South Africa's qualification for the final came after winning seven consecutive Tests, mostly in short series formats. Major League Cricket: Liam Plunkett on how cricket can boom in the USA "A lot of our series have been two-game series. So in order to win that series, you can't start slow. There's no second dip at it, so we're going to have to make sure we hit the ground running and are nice and sharp come day one." The 30-year-old Markram, with 45 Test matches under his belt, anticipates the historic opportunity to play at Lord's. "To play in a Test match here is really special and then obviously for it to be a final is probably the cherry on top." When asked about what makes Lord's memorable, Markram responded: "Probably just the know how many of the greats of the game have played here. For us to have that opportunity to play on the same field and share that changing room that they once sat in is quite a cool thought."
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Markram Say SA Have 'Buried' Past WTC Final Failures: 'This Team Is Different'
Last Updated: Aiden Markram is confident South Africa won't be mentally hampered by past failures as they face Australia in the World Test Championship final. South African batsman Aiden Markram exudes confidence that his team will not be mentally hampered by past failures when they face Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord's. The Proteas have experienced several near misses in major tournaments, including last year's T20 World Cup final in Barbados, where they lost to India despite requiring only 30 more runs with 30 balls and six wickets in hand. Markram, who captained South Africa in that match and is one of five players from that game featuring in the WTC final squad, believes the team has moved on. Under Temba Bavuma's leadership, they are focused on the present. 'This team is different," Markram said at Lord's on Sunday. 'Those of us who have experienced past disappointments have dealt with it, discussed it, and learned from it. Now, it's about the excitement of another opportunity to succeed." As an opener, Markram faces the challenge of neutralising Australia's potent bowling attack in the final starting on Wednesday. However, South Africa also possesses a formidable pace attack spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada. 'As an opener, my role is to give the team a strong start," Markram stated. 'Preparing against our world-class bowlers can be tough, but it helps us as batters." South Africa's path to the final involved winning seven consecutive Tests, predominantly in short series. 'Most of our series were two-game series, so we couldn't afford to start slowly," Markram explained. 'We need to be sharp from day one." The 30-year-old Markram, who has played 45 Tests, is relishing the opportunity to play at Lord's. 'Playing a Test match at Lord's is special, and having it as a final is the cherry on top," he said. When asked about the significance of Lord's, Markram remarked, 'The history… so many greats of the game have played here. It's amazing to have the chance to play on the same field and share the same dressing room." (With inputs from AFP) First Published:
