Cricket
Proteas to draw on energy of Lords crowd─── MORGAN PIEK 11:58 Tue, 10 Jun 2025
The Proteas will be hoping to draw energy from the crowd during the World Test Championship Final against Australia, which gets underway in London on Wednesday.
It’s a massive occasion for South Africa, as it marks their debut appearance in a WTC Final. Australia, meanwhile, are aiming to become the first team to win back-to-back titles.
A Test match at Lord’s is as iconic as it gets, and the fact that two fierce rivals are going head-to-head only adds to the occasion.
Ryan Rickelton and Temba Bavuma. Photo: Cricinfo
Much has been said about South Africa’s batting leading into the final. While Australia come in with a wealth of experience, the Proteas batters have stepped up throughout the campaign, several notching up big scores at crucial moments.
Proteas coach Shukri Conrad said there’s a quiet confidence within the batting unit, and he backs his players to rise to the occasion.
“I think the inexperience of the batters is quite obvious in terms of the number of Tests played and their ICC rankings,” Conrad said.
“So it’s pretty normal for the focus to be on the bowlers, especially when you’ve got guys like Kagiso Rabada, ranked second in the world, along with Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj.
“But on the batting front, I think there’s a quiet confidence among the group. They take belief from the fact that different players have scored hundreds at different stages. So, while they might not be superstar names just yet, we’re confident in what they can do together as a unit.”
Conrad added that this is arguably the biggest Test in South Africa’s history, and he believes the team may enjoy solid support at Lord’s, including from English fans. Still, he emphasised the importance of harnessing that energy and embracing the moment.
Temba Bavuma and Pat Cummins. Photo: ICC
“We must take it in, let’s embrace it, whatever comes with it,” Conrad said.
“It’s going to be buzzing. We’ll probably enjoy the majority of the support, I think most of the English will be backing us, too. We’ve spoken about taking it all in and settling ourselves down, not trying to wish it away.
“There’ll be nerves, of course. The excitement is building, as you can imagine, but it’s a fantastic occasion, and I’d much rather be a part of it than watch from the sidelines.”
The first ball of the WTC Final between South Africa and Australia is scheduled for 11:30 on Wednesday morning.
