South Africa has named its Playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, which begins on Wednesday at Lord’s in London.
Temba Bavuma will lead a well-rounded Proteas lineup in their maiden WTC summit clash appearance. South Africa’s batting unit will be headlined by left-handed opener Ryan Rickelton, who is his team’s top run-scorer in the WTC 2023-25 cycle.
In a notable change, all-rounder Wiaan Mulder has been bumped up the batting order to No. 3.
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“Mulder is quite young in that position. But I think having played with Mulder, having seen him and the way he has grown in the last two years within the red-ball format. It’s about giving him a lot more confidence, keep backing him and just allowing him to do what he does best. He has an opportunity in a pressure situation, but I think he can take comfort from the fact that the guys are backing him. We just want him to play his game,” Bavuma said, explaining the decision.
While Keshav Maharaj is the solitary specialist spinner in the team, South Africa is bolstered by a three-man pace attack, comprising Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi.
South Africa playing XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verrynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
