Australia vs South Africa, WTC Final: Tom Moody predicts winner, says 'winning mentality is ingrained in them'
NEW DELHI:
Tom Moody
, the former Australian cricketer, asserts that Australia's success in high-stakes matches has been consistent across generations, demonstrating exceptional performance levels ahead of their World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa.
The ICC's prestigious mace will be contested between South Africa and Australia from June 11 at Lord's.
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Whilst South Africa seeks their first ICC silverware in more than 20 years, Australia, under
Pat Cummins
' leadership, aims to maintain possession of the mace they secured by defeating India in the previous WTC final at the Oval in June 2023.
"The Australians have built that reputation through consistent success in major tournaments.
When it comes to ICC events, Australia somehow elevates their game to another level as a team. They genuinely embrace the challenges of tournament cricket and thrive under the pressure of these high-stakes matches.
Gautam Gambhir sends stern message after Bengaluru tragedy
"It's also about confidence. Historically, many of their players have won multiple ICC tournaments, and they've grown up watching previous generations achieve the same success. That winning mentality is ingrained in them," Moody commented on Star Sports.
The Proteas have demonstrated excellent form in ICC events over the past two years, reaching the semi-finals of both the ICC Men's World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy, the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, and now qualifying for the ICC WTC final.
According to Moody, Australia possesses a marginal advantage over South Africa, primarily due to their extensive experience in high-pressure encounters.
"You need to trust your instincts and make sure that you sort of cut out the negativity of the fact that you haven't played Test cricket for several months, or you're suddenly turning up in England and you've got completely different conditions. That's the nature of Test cricket, and that's the beauty of Test cricket, being able to adapt and evolve on the move to be able to respond when you need to. So, I think both teams will be very aware of that.
I think Australia has got a slight advantage purely because they've played more big matches than South Africa have over recent years," he concluded.
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