Australia vs South Africa Players: Full WTC Final 2025 Squads and Match Report

At a Glance: Australia vs South Africa Players

Introduction

Cricket fans around the world tuned in to watch the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 at Lord’s. The match featured two of the strongest Test sides in the world—Australia and South Africa. Australia came into the final as the defending champions, having won the WTC title in 2023. South Africa were making their first appearance in a WTC final after finishing top of the standings.

This article covers the Australia vs South Africa teams that played in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 at Lord’s.

The final was played at Lord’s from June 11 to June 14, 2025. South Africa won by five wickets in a thrilling finish. Aiden Markram was named Player of the Match for his brilliant century in the fourth innings.

Let’s take a closer look at the Australia vs South Africa players, the full scorecard, and how the match unfolded.

The Playing XIs for the WTC Final

Both teams announced their playing XIs on the eve of the match. Here are the confirmed lineups.

Australia Playing XI

South Africa Playing XI

A notable decision from South Africa was to bat Wiaan Mulder at No. 3. For Australia, Marnus Labuschagne opened alongside Usman Khawaja. Cameron Green returned to the Test side after recovering from back surgery.

Full Match Scorecard

Here is the complete AUS vs SA WTC final scorecard:

Result: South Africa won by 5 wickets

Australia 1st Innings: 212 All Out

Fall of Wickets: 1-12 (Khawaja), 2-16 (Green), 3-46 (Labuschagne), 4-67 (Head), 5-146 (Smith), 6-192 (Carey), 7-199 (Cummins), 8-210 (Webster), 9-211 (Lyon), 10-212 (Starc)

Key Performers: Beau Webster (72) and Steve Smith (66) were the only Australian batters to offer serious resistance.

South Africa Bowling:

Kagiso Rabada’s five-wicket haul (5/51) was a standout performance.

South Africa 1st Innings: 138 All Out

Fall of Wickets: 1-7 (Markram), 2-23 (Rickelton), 3-35 (Mulder), 4-42 (Stubbs), 5-106 (Bedingham), 6-138 (Bavuma), 7-138 (Verreynne)

Key Performers: David Bedingham (45) and Temba Bavuma (36) put together a 64-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Australia Bowling:

Pat Cummins’ 6/28 was a career-best performance in a major final.

Australia 2nd Innings: 207 All Out

Key Performers: Mitchell Starc (58*) and Alex Carey (43) rescued Australia from a collapse.

South Africa Bowling:

Rabada finished the match with 9 wickets overall (5/51 in the first innings and 4 in the second).

South Africa 2nd Innings: 282/5 – The Chase

Target: 282 runs

Result: South Africa reached 282/5 and won by 5 wickets

Key Partnership: Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma put on a match-defining stand of over 100 runs for the fourth wicket.

Aiden Markram’s 136 runs came off 207 balls and included 14 boundaries. He went from a duck in the first innings to a match-winning century in the fourth innings.

South Africa successfully chased the 282-run target, winning by five wickets. The finish had some nervous moments—Markram was dismissed with only six runs required and Bavuma had already been dismissed earlier—but the Proteas held their nerve.

Australia Bowling (2nd Innings):

Key Players Comparison

Top Wicket-Takers in the Match:

Match Summary Table

Full Match Squads

Australia Match Squad

South Africa Match Squad

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final between South Africa and Australia was a classic Test match. South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first. Australia were bowled out for 212 in their first innings, with Kagiso Rabada taking 5/51.

South Africa then collapsed to 138 all out, with Pat Cummins taking 6/28. Australia set a target of 282 runs in the fourth innings.

Aiden Markram’s 136 runs off 207 balls, supported by Temba Bavuma’s 66, guided South Africa to a five-wicket victory. Markram was named Player of the Match for his match-winning knock.

This was South Africa’s first ICC trophy since 1998. The victory ended a 27-year wait for an ICC title and gave the Proteas their maiden World Test Championship crown.

This article covers the Australia vs South Africa teams that played in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 at Lord’s. All match statistics are sourced from official ICC, Cricbuzz, and ESPNcricinfo scorecards.

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