WTC 2023–25: Australia vs South Africa – Journey to the Final Explained

WTC 2023–25: Australia vs South Africa – Journey to the Final Explained

After an amazing action in the longest form of cricket over the last two years, we have now reached the WTC 2023-25 cycle final. For this final, in one side we will have a South Africa that is in the finals for the very first time, while on the other side, we have Australia, the defending champions. It will be interesting to see which team takes the trophy back home and becomes the new champion. The teams performed very well, winning crucial series over the last two years, and will be playing for the final of the cycle. In this article, we discuss both teams' journey to the final.

South Africa's journey 

South Africa's journey towards the WTC 2025 final is a story of their consistent performances over the last two years. Of the 12 matches played in the cycle, South Africa won nine, lost three, and had one draw, resulting in a PCT of 69.44, which took them in first position on the table. In the cycle, South Africa draw the home series against India 1-1. In this series, South Africa's victory in the Boxing Day Test at Centurion was crucial for drawing the series, with special performances from opener Dean Elgar and bowler Kagiso Rabada team did it. But team team also faced defeat from New Zealand, losing 0-2, and then made a strong comeback in their home series by defeating Sri Lanka and Pakistan in their last series. One of the key players from the South African side was bowler Kagiso Rabada, who took 47 wickets in the 10 Test matches played during this cycle.

Australia’s Journey 

On the other side, Australia, after some hiccups, finally reached the finals by defeating India in the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In the 19 matches played during the cycle, they won 13 and had two draws, while losing four matches. Australian team, with a PCT of 67.54, finished the cycle in second position, securing their spot in the finals. 

Australia in this cycle register victory in four series against India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. While the team won against India by 3-1, they completed clean sweeps against Pakistan (3-0), New Zealand(2-0), and Sri Lanka (2-0). The victory against India proved to be crucial for the team, as a defeat in this series could have sent India to the finals instead of them. The team also played a drawn series against England, finishing 2-2. The most significant player for the team in the cycle was Travis Head, who performed consistently throughout, scoring over 1177 runs in the 19 test matches played.

WTC 2023–25 Top 3

Australia Squads: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster. Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett.

South Africa Squad: Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne

Also Read: WTC 2025 Final Venue: Why It Changed From Last Cycle and Where the Match Will Be Played This Year