South Africa vs Australia Test Venue: Lord’s. London
South Africa vs Australia Test Date: Wednesday, June 11 to Sunday, June 15
BetXchange South Africa vs Australia Test Odds:
History
Australia will aim to successfully defend its ICC World Test Championship trophy this week as it faces South Africa in the final at Lord’s. This is a unique event on the cricketing calendar, with the trophy’s destination decided by a one-off Test at a neutral venue. Australia won the 2021-2023 ICC World Test Championship two years ago with a 209-run demolition of India at The Oval.
Qualification for this Test is a two-year process. The scoring system is convoluted, with each of the nine Test-playing nations competing in a different number of matches based on what the individual cricketing boards decided to schedule. For example, England played 22 Tests to just 11 for Sri Lanka.
League points are awarded based on the percentage of points a team wins from the total it could have won. By this metric, Australia and South Africa comfortably qualified for the final at 69.44% and 67.54%, respectively. India claimed just 50% of its possible points to finish a distant third on the log.
South Africa
The Proteas are bang in form in the Test arena. They have won seven matches on the bounce, roaring into this final under the leadership of batter and captain Temba Bavuma. Bavuma is one of the key players in this Test, as he has been on a hot streak over the last six months or so.
World-class seamer Kagiso Rabada will be available for selection after returning from a one-month ban for recreational drug use. That ban forced Rabada to leave IPL side Gujarat Titans in the middle of their season. In 10 Tests against the Aussies, Rabada has taken 49 wickets at an average of 23.08 runs per dismissal.
Australia
Australia hosts England for the Ashes this December, so they will want to start their Test playing season in style with a successful title defense here.
This squad has seen and done it all over the last half a decade. They want to claim their fourth world title across three game formats in the previous four years. This shows the player pool’s consistency, talent, and depth in both red and white ball cricket.
The Aussie big four will be at it again in the bowling attack. Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood have combined for an astonishing 1,508 Test wickets and are rightly considered one of the best quartets in the game’s history. Can South Africa deal with the consistent pressure that the four aces will bring?
Best Bets
An unusually dry spring means there might be some joy for the spinners at Lord’s on a firmer wicket than usual in London in mid-June.
Australia hosted the last series between these two sides. The hosts won 2-0, with the third Test ending in a draw. They have lost just three of their last 18 Test series, with all three defeats coming against India.
I like the Aussies to break the Proteas’ hearts in London. Steve Smith for Player of the Match is a good shout as the 36-year-old seems to get better with age. He is 34/5 to be the best player on the ground this week.
