26-05-2025
South Africa's WTC final preparations back on track following near disaster
The Proteas, set to take part in the World Test Championship final, are expected to leave the Indian Premier League this weekend in preparation for the red-ball showdown.
The Proteas' preparations for the World Test Championship (WTC) final were almost jeopardised by the skirmishes between India and Pakistan that brought the countries to the brink of full-scale war.
More than half of South Africa's WTC final squad is currently playing in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL). The tournament was paused for 10 days after a crisis between the neighbouring Asian countries escalated temporarily, leading to missile strikes and other military attacks before a ceasefire was called, halting the fighting.
The IPL continued on Saturday 17 May without any matches being cancelled. The only concession was to extend the tournament by 10 days.
While that normally wouldn't have a big influence on South African cricket, South Africa are playing their most important Test match in more than a decade when they face off against Australia in the WTC from 11 June at Lord's, England.
The IPL now ends on 3 June, the same date South Africa is expected to take on neighbours Zimbabwe in a four-day warm-up match in Sussex before heading to London for the WTC final.
But negotiations by the upper echelons of Cricket South Africa's (CSA) hierarchy with The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ensured that the eight players selected for the WTC final will leave the tournament on 25 May and join up with the WTC squad on 31 May in Arundel, Sussex.
'We basically just stuck to the original plan of the IPL until the 25th (of May) because we already put plans in place post the 25th for the Test players in preparation for the WTC,' CSA director of national teams and high performance, Enoch Nkwe, said to Daily Maverick. 'Players knew well in advance.'
This means all eight players will miss the IPL playoffs with several sides still in contention for the trophy.
These players are Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans), Corbin Bosch, Ryan Rickelton (both Mumbai Indians), Lungi Ngidi (Royal Challengers Bangaluru), Tristan Stubbs (Delhi Capitals), Marco Jansen (Punjab Kings), Wiaan Mulder (Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Aiden Markram (Lucknow Super Giants).
All of the aforementioned teams besides the Sunrisers Hyderabad have the playoffs within reach at the time of writing.
Maximising preparation
Conversely, several Australian players selected for the WTC final didn't return to the IPL after it returned to action on 17 May. Among those are fast bowlers Mitchell Star (Delhi Capitals) and Josh Hazlewood (Royal Challengers Bangaluru).
Most of Australia's WTC final squad have assembled in Brisbane, Australia, three weeks out from the final before heading over to England to prepare in the conditions of the climax.
South Africa's Kyle Verreynne, David Bedingham and Dane Paterson — who were not picked up in the IPL — are acclimatising to conditions with ongoing stints in England's County Championship, the country's first-class competition.
Bedingham has only played one match this season after suffering a toe fracture in the only match he played for Durham at the start of April.
'This is our number one priority and we wanted to give ourselves the best chance to prepare well to head into the warm-up game against Zimbabwe in good shape because post that game there's not a lot of time to finalise preparations,' Nkwe said about the Proteas' preparations and ensuring they were available and not away at the IPL.
'We needed to make sure we did everything in our power with the little amount of time that we had to maximise preparation.
'It was very important. We're grateful to get it over the line and have players available so we can zone in and focus on the preparation for the WTC final.'
South Africa's last Test match was the New Year's Test against Pakistan at Newlands Cricket Stadium in Cape Town, which they won by 10 wickets.
Had the Proteas not qualified for the WTC final, their next Test match would have been at the end of June against Zimbabwe in what would be a near six-month break in fixtures.
But because of South Africa's first qualification for the pinnacle match at Lord's, in the third edition of the WTC, an extra match was squeezed in before the final, also against Zimbabwe for some of the players to shed some of their rust.
Skipper Temba Bavuma, for example, hasn't played a professional match since the start of March in South Africa's 50-run loss to New Zealand in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy.
'It's ideal,' Nkwe said about competing against Zimbabwe from 3 June in England. 'There's been a lot of work done behind the scenes to try to get an official opposition to help us so we can be tested and it can be competitive.
'We'll be grateful for our neighbours, Zimbabwe Cricket, for availing themselves for this important fixture.
'For us it goes beyond just the once-off Test. We've always had good relationships with Zimbabwe Cricket, and it's something we want to keep building on.'
Getting over the line
The WTC final is South Africa's fourth International Cricket Council playoff match since 2023. They've only won one of the previous three.
Two years ago they fell to Australia in the semi-final of the Cricket World Cup in India, after beating Afghanistan in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in West Indies. They lost to India in the final and earlier this year, and they succumbed to the Black Caps in Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.
It's been two years of 'almosts' in white-ball cricket with the side now having the opportunity to correct that in the red-ball game.
'It's super important,' Nkwe said of the WTC final. 'We have an opportunity to make not only our country but our continent very proud.
'We owe it to our fans, our stakeholders and everybody who has been following cricket that loves the game and loves the Proteas.
'We want to put ourselves in a position to win this Test match because we believe that it can be not only a special achievement, but a massive stepping stone to greater things in South African cricket.'
Nkwe was appointed to his role — as director of cricket — in 2022 with an eye on 2027 with the Cricket World Cup being hosted in the country. His directive was simple: bring home the trophy. He now, alongside the team and management, has the opportunity to complete that goal two years early.
'Obviously it will help immensely in our journey to 2027 and continue to grow the confidence that we have been building on — reaching finals — over the past two years putting on good performances in white-ball cricket,' Nkwe said. 'Test cricket has taken that step forward. This will be huge for South African cricket and it will be a massive step toward 2027 and beyond.' DM
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
