3 player battles to watch out for in SA vs AUS WTC 2025 final ft. Steve Smith vs Kagiso Rabada

Reigning champions Australia will lock horns with South Africa to defend their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) title. The iconic Lord's Stadium will host this all-important clash from Wednesday (June 11) onwards.

The Aussies had to navigate a challenging route on their way to the final. Pat Cummins and company retained the Ashes urn with a 2-2 draw against England away from home. Later, they registered a 3-1 series win over India at home. Their triumph in the final Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground confirmed their place in the final. With 13 wins from 19 matches, Australia finished second in the WTC standings.

South Africa, on the other hand, had a below-par start to their WTC campaign with one win in five Tests. However, they won seven games on the trot to finish on top of the table with eight victories in 12 Tests. This will be their maiden World Test Championship final appearance, and the Proteas will look to return with the trophy.

The high-stakes encounter will present plenty of matchups over the next five days, and we look at three of them that can change the course of the Test.

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#1 Steve Smith vs Kagiso Rabada

The former Aussie skipper has played a significant role in helping the team reach the final. Steve Smith is the sixth-highest run-scorer in the tournament, with 1324 runs in 19 Tests at an average of 41.37, including five hundreds and four fifties.

The New South Welshman scored a match-defining hundred (121) in the WTC 2023 final against India at the Oval and will look to repeat the same heroics. However, Smith could be challenged by South African pacer Kagiso Rabada.

Rabada has scalped 47 wickets in this edition of the WTC and will bowl his heart out in the final, as his side search for their maiden ICC title. He will be shouldered with the responsibility of keeping Smith silent, usually known for stepping up on big occasions.

The Proteas quick has dismissed Smith four times in red-ball cricket, while the latter has scored 128 runs in 262 deliveries, including 16 boundaries and two sixes.

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#2 Temba Bavuma vs Josh Hazlewood

The South African skipper has led the team from the front in WTC 2023-25, amassing 609 runs in seven matches at an average of 60.90, including two centuries and four fifties.

South Africa's chance of taking home the trophy will largely depend on how Bavuma fares with the bat over the next five days. However, the right-handed batter will have to negate the Josh Hazlewood threat, who has dismissed him twice already for 118 runs.

Hazlewood is fresh from winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 title with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and will be riding high on confidence heading to Lord's. The right-arm pacer has had an excellent tournament with 57 wickets in 13 matches, and he will look to finish on a high by helping Australia lift the title for the second time in a row.

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#3 Tristan Stubbs vs Nathan Lyon

The hard-hitting youngster is the key player in South Africa's middle order. His aggressive style of play unsettles the opposition bowlers while helping his side accumulate quick runs.

Tristan Stubbs will be oozing with confidence after an excellent IPL 2025 campaign, but going against Nathan Lyon will be a different ball game. The tricky off-spinner is arguably the best in the business and has made his presence felt throughout the competition with 66 scalps.

Steve Smith has already hinted that the Lord's wicket might assist spinners, which will help Lyon significantly. He told reporters, as quoted by the ICC:

“Yeah, I think spin will play a big part, particularly as the game wears on. It is dry, I think. The reports, we only came here a week ago. So, it’s pretty dry to start the season over here.”

Following Smith's pre-match remarks, this will be one of the most important duels to watch out for in the WTC final.