Latest news with #ICCWorldTestChampionshipFinal
Int'l Cricket Council
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Proteas face Zimbabwe before World Test Championship Final
South Africa are all set to take on Zimbabwe in a four-day warm-up match from June 3 in England. The contest will be played at Arundel Castle Cricket Ground in Sussex. This will serve as key preparation for the Proteas ahead of their all-important World Test Championship Final at the Oval against Australia starting June 11. South Africa last featured in the longest format in a 2-0 home series win over Pakistan in January 2025, and this warm-up against their neighbours will provide them with a chance to acclimatise to red-ball cricket ahead of the Ultimate Test. South Africa Squad for the WTC 2025 Final: Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, are coming off a historic appearance in a one-off Test against England at Trent Bridge, their first Test on English soil in two decades, a landmark moment in their cricketing journey. Despite England winning the contest by an innings and 45 runs, Zimbabwe had plenty of moments to remember from the game, especially Brian Bennett's fighting ton in the first innings. Zimbabwe will be without the services of Sikandar Raza, Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava, but are otherwise expected to field a strong outfit, with the likes of Sean Williams, Bennett, Victor Nyauchi, Clive Madande, and Craig Ervine in the mix. The warm-up fixture against South Africa marks another significant step for Zimbabwe, serving as a key rehearsal ahead of their two-Test home series against the same opponents in Bulawayo, slated for June and July. Zimbabwe Squad: Craig Ervine (c), Brian Bennett, Tanaka Chivanga, Ben Curran, Alex Falao, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tanunurwa Makoni, Wellington Masakadza, Vincent Masekesa, Newman Nyamhuri, Victor Nyauchi, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Nicholas Welch, Sean Williams. The Chevrons are also slated to host New Zealand for a two-Test series later in the summer. ICC World Test Championship Final, 2025NewsSouth AfricaZimbabwe
United News of India
a day ago
- Sport
- United News of India
Ponting picks Australia XI for World Test Championship Final
Sydney, May 30 (UNI) ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting has revealed the playing XI he thinks Australia will use in the one-off ICC World Test Championship Final against South Africa. Earlier this month, Australia named a strong 15-player squad for the Ultimate Test at Lord's starting June 11 and coach Andrew McDonald has already indicated he will wait until the side convenes in London prior to the contest before he settles on the make-up of the final XI. While the majority of Australia's XI looks well settled, there are still some question marks surrounding who will partner Usman Khawaja at the top of Australia's batting order, the lack of runs for former No.1 ranked batter Marnus Labuschagne, just where star all-rounder Cameron Green slots into the side and which pacer is preferred out of Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland. Ponting discussed all of these issues on the latest episode of The ICC Review, with the former Australian captain going out on a limb and predicting exactly how he thinks the Aussies will line up. "I have just got a bit of a feeling that Marnus Labuschagne might be pushed up the order to open the batting with Khawaja," Ponting declared. "I think Green will bat at three and Steve Smith will be at four," he said. "Then it's Travis Head five, Beau Webster six, Carey at seven, Cummins eight, Starc nine and Lyon 10," Ponting said. "And the one that everyone talks about the last couple of years is the whole Hazlewood (versus) Boland one. It's a really tough selection every time because every time Boland plays, he just does so well. But unfortunately, if Hazlewood is fit, I think Hazlewood comes straight back into the team," he said. Ponting thinks the biggest dilemma selectors will face will be what to do with Labuschagne and whether he is capable of pushing up the order and opening the batting at Test level for the first time. Labuschagne has just one Test century to his name since the end of 2022 and failed to make much of an impression in two matches for County side Glamorgan earlier this month and the Aussies have Sam Konstas waiting in the wings should they want to provide the brash teenager with a baptism of fire in the one-off Test. But Ponting expects Australia to put their faith in Labuschagne, citing the path selectors took with former opener David Warner prior to the last World Test Championship Final may be replicated once again. "I actually think that that will go with Labuschagne," Ponting said. "Looking back to the last World Test Championship Final there was some talk about David Warner and whether he should hold his spot going into that," he said. "And there was a bit of talk around the team about wanting to get through that period or that phase or if you like, with the same group of players and give them the chance to, to be able to play off in that one-off final," Ponting said. "Labuschagne has been through this cycle with the team, albeit batting at No.3 and I think they will want to get through the cycle with the same players so I think Labuschagne will get the nod," he said. "Whether I agree with it or not, it's a different will be revealed in the next couple of weeks," Ponting added. Ricky Ponting's predicted Australia XI for World Test Championship Final: 1. Usman Khawaja, 2. Marnus Labuschagne, 3. Cameron Green, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Travis Head, 6. Beau Webster, 7. Alex Carey (wk), 8. Pat Cummins (c), 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Nathan Lyon, 11. Josh Hazlewood. UNI BM
Int'l Cricket Council
3 days ago
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Five crucial battles at the World Test Championship Final
Scene set for epic World Test Championship Final South Africa and Australia are ready to battle it out in the ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord's from June 11 2025 The Proteas finished top of the WTC table, winning seven of their last eight matches to seal their berth in the final for the first time. Australia meanwhile booked their second consecutive final spot, securing their place with a home series win against India in their recent home summer. The two teams possess several match-winners in their squads, who can turn the game on its head. We examine five key match-ups that could decide the clash: A new-ball contest between South Africa's leading wicket-taker and Australia's highest run-scorer in this World Test Championship cycle could set the tone for the Final. Kagiso Rabada going full throttle against Usman Khawaja offers an intriguing battle. Khawaja has set the tone going for Australia with 1422 runs from his 19 innings this WTC cycle, while Rabada has claimed 47 wickets from 20 innings. Holding the advantage in prior contests is South Africa's premium speedster, who's got the better of Khawaja five times in 10 matches the duo have collided against each other. Rabada will also take cue from the left-hander's recent troubles against quality pace bowling featuring India's Jasprit Bumrah during the five Tests on Australian soil. Khawaja was dismissed by Bumrah six times during the course of the series. Khawaja on the other hand, will look back at the success he enjoyed on his last visit to England, scoring 496 runs during the Ashes in 2023. Usman Khawaja accepts ICC Men's Test Player of the Year award Australia opener Usman Khawaja was not expecting to be named the ICC Men's Test Player of the Year in 2023. Much of the fast bowling responsibility at the other end for South Africa will be courtesy of left-arm seamer Marco Jansen. Having made an early impression in the previous WTC cycle, the 25-year-old came into his own in the second cycle, helping South Africa to the final, claiming 29 wickets in six Tests. A prominent feature of the searing quick has been his use of the angular advantage he holds over right-handed batters. Of his 78 Test wickets, 57 have been right-handers, a staggering 73.07 percent. At the nets with South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen and Shaun Pollock | CWC23 Behind the scenes with Shaun Pollock at South Africa training ahead of the heavyweight clash with England at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 It sets up for an exciting match-up against Australia stalwart, Steve Smith, who comes into the final on the back of a memorable tour of Sri Lanka. Leading Australia to a 2-0 clean sweep, Smith compiled two hundreds in the series, and reached 10,000 Test runs, to close his side's WTC campaign on a high note. The veteran batter was also a key performer in Australia's WTC 2023 Final triumph against India at The Oval, where he also posted a scintillating ton. An exciting young quick facing a seasoned batting icon, this has all the makings of an 'unstoppable force meets an immovable object' clash. Century! Another milestone for Steve Smith | WTC23 Final Steve Smith notches up his 31st Test century early on Day 2 against India in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2023. South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma led by example in the back half of the Proteas' march to the WTC Final. Missing out on five of the first six Tests South Africa played, Bavuma came back, amassing 609 runs from 11 innings, at an incredible 60.90. His run-scoring eased the pressure of multiple newcomers in South Africa's red-ball batting lineup. The experienced campaigner will seek to blunt a ruthless Australian bowling attack led by the irrepressible Pat Cummins. Returning from a recent injury, the Australian skipper possesses a grave threat to Bavuma and the Proteas batting line-up. Cummins' diverse arsenal offers him a range of options to utilise against the best of foes, and his impressive haul of 73 wickets in this WTC cycle - second only to Jasprit Bumrah - show for it. How a newly rekindled batter in Bavuma maneuvers against a dexterous Cummins will be a crucial plot point to the final. Fiery fast bowling from Pat Cummins | WTC23 Final Shardul Thakur had to face the brunt of Pat Cummins' fiery fast bowling. Another exciting new-ball match-up that is richly-anticipated comes in the form of South Africa's opener and Australia's left-arm gun. The Proteas left-handed sensation has taken little time to establish himself as one of the exciting prospects across formats. To go with his incredible range of shots, Rickelton hasn't lacked the composure to bat for longer periods, with 451 runs from six Tests in this WTC cycle. Ryan Rickelton's special ton on ICC event debut | POTM Highlights | Champions Trophy 2025 A superb century from Ryan Rickelton at the ICC Champions Trophy event in 2025 This included a career-best score of 259 against Pakistan, an innings that elevated his stock in the post-Dean Elgar era. In a fierce quick such as Starc, Rickelton may find his toughest challenge yet when it comes to Test cricket. The left-arm veteran, reputed for delivering on the big stage, will aim to dictate. Meanwhile, during his short time as an international cricketer, Rickelton hasn't held back from a full length delivery against the new-ball. Bolstering South Africa's batting in the middle order are Tristan Stubbs and David Bedingham, two batters who can accelerate the run-scoring with their attacking strokeplay. While Stubbs has proven his attacking prowess across formats, Bedingham - who has only featured in the longest format for South Africa - has also not second-guessed before taking down the opposition attack once the ball gets old. With this approach the 31-year-old has finished as South Africa's leading run-scorer in this WTC cycle (645). The duo are likely to have Australia's premier operator Nathan Lyon in their mind in their quest to accumulate quick runs. Despite the conditions at Lord's more suited to the seamers, finger-spinner Lyon will offer a handy outlet to Australia, also leveraging the slope of the ground. Lyon also has an impressive haul from his last outing in the Ultimate Test, when he returned with the best figures in the second innings as Australia clinched the World Test Championship mace. His battle with the Proteas middle-order duo offers an enticing storyline that may hold the key to how many runs South Africa end up scoring. "For me, that's the World Cup": Nathan Lyon on WTC glory A key figure in Australia's mace-winning 2023 World Test Championship campaign, Nathan Lyon explains the competition's significance to him.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Australia face selection dilemma
Australia are eyeing to defend their title against South Africa next month. Photo: AFP/FILE Australia head coach Andrew McDonald on Tuesday admitted that the final playing XI has not yet been decided and he is facing challenges in selecting the team for the ICC World Test Championship final against South Africa, scheduled to begin on June 11 at Lord's. As the defending champions eye back-to-back titles, the team management faces several key decisions, particularly regarding the top order and all-rounder roles. While experienced opener Usman Khawaja is confirmed to take his place at the top, the identity of his partner remains uncertain. Sam Konstas and Marnus Labuschagne have emerged as potential candidates to open the innings, but McDonald hinted that in-form all-rounder Cameron Green could also be a surprise option for the role. Green has been in stellar form in England's County Championship Division 2, notching up three centuries for Gloucestershire over the past six weeks. Although he is unavailable to bowl as he continues recovering from back surgery, McDonald is confident in the 25-year-old's adaptability with the bat. "I think he can bat anywhere. He could be three, five, six, or even open. He's got the temperament and the skill set, especially the defensive game required higher up the order. He plays the short ball well and covers all bases." McDonald said. The uncertainty extends beyond the top order. Australia are also debating whether to include an all-rounder in the final XI. With Green ruled out of bowling duties, Beau Webster, who impressed during his Test outings against India and Sri Lanka earlier this year, is in contention. The 31-year-old could feature if conditions at Lord's warrant an all-rounder's inclusion. "There's an XI on a board, but it has dashes with multiple names in different positions. We have tried to assemble a 15-man squad that gives us all the options. Whether or not we go with an all-rounder depends on the pitch and conditions, which will then influence how we shape the batting order," McDonald revealed. The final decision will hinge on how much weight the selectors give to the need for a fifth bowling option. According to McDonald, clarity will be provided to players as the match draws nearer. It is pertinent to mention that the ICC World Test Championship Final is set to take place on June 11, at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in London between South Africa and defending champions Australia. South Africa currently leads the WTC 2023-25 standings, having won eight out of 12 Tests. After a 1-1 drawn home series against India and a 2-0 defeat in New Zealand, they rebounded with series victories over the West Indies (1-0), Bangladesh (2-0), Sri Lanka (2-0), and Pakistan (2-0). On the other hand, Australia stands second on the table, with 13 wins and four losses from 19 Tests. Their journey included a 2-0 win against Sri Lanka, a 3-1 triumph over India, a 2-0 series win against New Zealand, and a 1-1 draw with the West Indies. They also whitewashed Pakistan 3-0, while the Ashes series against England ended in a 2-2 draw. Squads Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster. South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Kyle Verreynne, David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson.
Int'l Cricket Council
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
On Gill's to-do list as India's next Test skipper
With a leadership change inevitable following the retirement of skipper Rohit Sharma from Test cricket earlier in May, the task of leading India into their new Test era falls on Shubman Gill. The 25-year-old becomes India's youngest full-time Test skipper since Sachin Tendulkar led the side at the age of 23 in 1996. Like Tendulkar, who took the reins of the side after a series of underwhelming results, Gill assumes command of the team in trying times. India had their first series loss at home in 12 years towards the end of 2024 against New Zealand, followed by a comprehensive defeat in Australia despite a positive start. Given this, the side failed to make it to the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final, the first time it has not been able to do so since the inception of the tournament. We look at the challenges that Gill will look to address as he seeks to rebuild India's Test fortunes: For the last three decades, India had little to worry about the crucial No. 4 batting spot in Tests. First, Sachin Tendulkar and then Virat Kohli thrived at the position, scoring a cumulative 21056 Test runs for India with 70 tons during their time at No. 4. With the latter's recent retirement, India will need another batter to raise his hand and make the key position their own for the coming years. Several contenders line up, but it remains to be seen which way the team management goes. There's a possibility that skipper Gill takes over as number four, a role similar to Kohli, holding the side's middle-order defence while having the strokeplay to turn the game around. Virat Kohli on guiding Shubman Gill to achieve his potential | WTC Final India star Virat Kohli reveals the role he has played in the emergence of opener Shubman Gill ahead of the ICC World Test Championship Final Rishabh Pant, who scored a sensational 146 in his last outing in England, has been slotted down a bit lower at number five or six in Test cricket, but given Kohli's departure, can be asked to fill in. The same goes for KL Rahul; should India move to an opening combination featuring Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudarshan. Karun Nair, who's making a comeback to the Test squad after seven years, can also slot in the role, having featured in other middle-order roles before. Ravichandran Ashwin's international retirement during the Australia series meant that India's magical pairing of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, with 587 Test wickets while playing together, was broken. A big factor of India's 12-year unbeaten run in Tests at home was the guile and expertise of the off-spin and left-arm spin combo of Ashwin and Jadeja. However, with Ashwin's departure and the fact that Jadeja is on the wrong side of his 30s means that India will be on the lookout for new leaders in their spin setup. Kuldeep Yadav (56 Test wickets) and Washington Sundar (25 wickets) will have the immediate burden of carrying India's spin fortunes along with Jadeja. Other spinners, who haven't been named in the squad for England series, but can be in contetion for future assignments are all-rounder Axar Patel (55 Test scalps), domestic icon Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore or even white-ball specialists Ravi Bishnoi. Beyond the numbers, Ashwin, Kohli, and Rohit have had an important bearing on India's Test fortunes since the 2010s. Their experience of playing cricket across conditions will be dearly missed, and unlike the 2008-13 transition of Indian cricket, wherein Anil Kumble (2008), Sourav Ganguly (2008), Rahul Dravid (2012), VVS Laxman (2012), and Sachin Tendulkar (2013) left the side after a certain gap period, the present transition sees India without an experience of 296 cumulative Tests in the space of a series, with the three stalwarts having since stepped down. India's new captain and the team management will be hoping to make up for this experience gap at the earliest. Ravichandran Ashwin announces retirement from international cricket Ravichandran Ashwin announces retirement from international cricket With the departure of the key senior figures from the side, the core leadership group of team India will undergo changes. The team management along with the skipper will have to identify the core leadership group in the setup. While in the early 2000s, India's leadership primarily consisted of senior batters along with Anil Kumble, over the recent years, the bowlers have had a greater say, so one can expect Jasprit Bumrah to play a crucial role in the think tank, with other senior bowlers expected to chip in as well. Rishabh Pant, the present vice-captain, and KL Rahul, who has led the Test side in the past, are the others who will play a big role in the decision-making apparatus on the field. India's KL Rahul celebrates reaching his half century during the Perth Test against Australia in December 2024 // Getty Images After the tour of England, India's next two Test assignments are slated to take place at home against West Indies and South Africa respectively. Generally the favourites at home, the Men in Blue got a rude shock when New Zealand stunned them with a 0-3 series loss in their own backyard. India's recent years have seen them struggle against spin, including losses to Australia (2017, 2023) and England (2021) on turning tracks at home. But this was the first-time that they had been whitewashed at home (in a series of three or more games) with Ajaz Patel (15 wickets) and Mitchell Santner (13 wickets) playing a leading role in New Zealand's triumph. To regain their confidence in home conditions, India will need their batters to stand up against the opposition tweakers and figure a way to stay at the crease and rotate strike for longer periods of play. India's bowling attack too will need to fire at full cylinders, so that the team can regain the psychological advantage of home dominance.
