"The main one for me will be Rabada against Smith" - 5 big statements made ahead of SA vs AUS WTC 2025 final

South Africa and Australia are gearing up for the 2025 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, which will be played at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground from June 11 to June 15. While the Aussies would be looking to defend the title they won in 2023, the Proteas are seeking their maiden WTC triumph.

South Africa topped the WTC 2023-25 points table, with points percentage (PCT) of 69.44. They played 12 matches, winning eight and losing three, while one match ended in a draw. Australia finished in second place, with PCT of 67.54. They won 13 of their 19 Tests, losing four, while two matches ended in draws.

Both South Africa and Australia announced their respective playing XIs on the eve of the 2025 WTC final. Meanwhile, there has been plenty of chatter in the build-up to the mega clash. Here's a look at five big statements made ahead of the final.

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#1 "The main one for me will be Rabada against Smith" - James Anderson

England fast bowling legend James Anderson reckons that the contest between senior Aussie batter Steve Smith and seasoned South African pacer Kagiso Rabada could be the defining battle of the WTC final. He told ICC:

"The main one for me will be Rabada against Steve Smith and I think that could be a really good, interesting battle. Steve Smith is one of the best batters in the world and Kagiso Rabada is one of my favorite bowlers to watch.

"I think he's got so many attributes that just make me want to tune into the TV and watch him. He's a fantastic player, so I'm really looking forward to that battle," Anderson added.

While Smith has amassed 10,000-plus runs in Test cricket, Rabada has claimed 327 wickets in 70 matches.

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#2 "I think spin will play a big part" - Steve Smith on Lord's surface for WTC final

The famed Lord's Cricket Ground is traditionally known to assist seamers. Veteran Australian batter Smith, however, believes that the surface prepared for the WTC final is a lot drier and hence could offer assistance to spin later on in the game.

“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. There’s not been much rain, which is rare for England obviously... But, yeah. It does look like quite a dry surface," Smith told ICC.

While Australia have picked off spinner Nathan Lyon in their playing XI for the WTC final, South Africa have included left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.

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#3 "In some ways you expect India to be around" - Pat Cummins on WTC finalists

Australian captain Pat Cummins made a rather interesting remark on the eve of the WTC 2025 final, hinting that he was expecting India to reach the summit clash again. Speaking on facing South Africa in the mega final, he told The Guardian:

"In some ways you expect India to be around. England have been quite strong at home and New Zealand always seem to get to finals. But the same case could be made for South Africa in ICC events. We just don't see a lot of them in Test cricket but it's nice and different to an Australia-India final."

India failed to reach the final of the WTC as they suffered a shock 3-0 loss at home to New Zealand, which was followed by a 3-1 defeat in Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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#4 "Probably one of the tougher decisions" - Temba Bavuma on Dane Paterson not being picked

South African captain Temba Bavuma has admitted that the decision to leave Dane Paterson out in favor of Lungi Ngidi was a tough decision for the WTC final. He, however, termed it a tactical move. Speaking after announcing the playing XI, Bavuma explained (as quoted by HT):

"Probably one of the tougher decisions that has been made. We see what Dane Paterson did for us to the end of last season. But it was more from a tactical point of view. Probably a little bit more pace from Lungi, guess he's a bit taller as well. Lungi also has a better record, not taking away anything from Patto. He (Ngidi) has the experience, he's played here before, not that Patto hasn't."

Apart from Ngidi and Rabada, Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen are the other pace bowling options for South Africa in the playing XI for the 2025 WTC final.

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#5 "It could change the landscape of cricket in South Africa" - Ngidi on the significance of the WTC final

South African fast bowler Ngidi believes that winning the WTC final against Australia at Lord's would be a massive moment in the history of Proteas cricket. Asked about what it would mean to the team and the nation, he told ICC:

“To be able to bring this (title) back home would be a dream come true. We’ve come close over the last couple of years, at different tournaments. It would be awesome. This is the ultimate form of cricket. Just bringing that focus back to red ball cricket. It could change the landscape of cricket in South Africa.”

South Africa have won only one ICC title so far across formats. They triumphed in the inaugural Champions Trophy (formerly known as the ICC Knock Out Trophy) back in 1998 in Bangladesh.