AB De Villiers Urges Temba Bavuma To Lead From The Front In WTC Final vs Australia

NDTV

13-05-2025

AB de Villiers believes that Temba Bavuma, as captain, should lead the batting lineup, and South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne should bat with the tail, emphasizing the importance of scoring runs at Lord's to support the bowlers. Australia sealed their spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, where they will face South Africa at Lord's in June.
"I think an integral part of that batting lineup, which I feel will be incredibly important at Lords, it's always important to get runs on the board there and to give your bowlers a bit of freedom. But I feel the batters that need to be informed, probably Temba as captain to lead from the front and then someone like a Kyle Verreynne at the back end to bat with the tail," AB de Villiers said in a video posted by ICC.
De Villiers emphasized the significance of having a strong batter in the lineup who can score crucial runs at Lord's and help the team secure a victory.
"From past experiences at Lords, you have the in batter and that can get that tail wagging at the back end, they score your extra 80 to 100 runs, generally seem to help you win test matches at the back end."
"I think that's going to be crucially important, someone like a Temba, a Markram perhaps, a Rickleton to maintain that kind of form, to get runs on the board, but once we run out of the top order, to have someone like a Kyle Varane to direct traffic at the back end, it's going to be very important," he added.
South Africa finished at the top of the league stage with a points percentage of 69.44. They dominated at home, securing series wins against Pakistan and Sri Lanka while drawing against India. Their away form was equally impressive, with victories over the West Indies and Bangladesh.
Their only setback came in New Zealand, where they were missing a host of their first-choice stars.
Winning eight out of 12 matches and drawing one, the Proteas secured their place in their first-ever ICC World Test Championship Final.
Australia earned the opportunity to defend their title with a points percentage of 67.54, finishing second in the league standings.
They began their campaign by drawing the Ashes in England before dominating Pakistan 3-0 at home. A minor setback came when West Indies held them to a series draw, but victories over New Zealand and Sri Lanka, along with a historic home triumph against India, secured Australia's place in the final against South Africa in June.